All iPhone 4S SIMs to be Locked at Activation Starting November 11th

There was a bit of confusion about the iPhone 4S’ SIM status prior to its release. Some reports claimed that the 4S would ship with an unlocked SIM, while others stated that the SIM was to be locked and only support GSM roaming when abroad. Our Super Spies however have got their hands on an interesting piece of intel. An internal Sprint memo states that starting on 11/11/11 “all iPhone 4S devices will have the SIM locked.” The memo also goes on to state that “the locking occurs during the activation process and is invisible to the customer.” Such statements suggest that Sprint’s iPhone 4S variant does, or should we say did ship with an unlocked SIM. But all is not lost for you early adopters, it is clearly noted that this SIM lock update will not impact any iPhone 4S activated prior to 11/11/11. As for you new customers, you’ll be referred to Sprint Worldwide for international services.

source