Iphone 5s AU unlock

I called AU to ask about getting an old iphone 5s unlocked. They said they won't do it and that it's a policy issue, not a technical issue. (they will do it for phones bought in 2015 and onwards)

I'd like to get mine unlocked so I can use it overseas with local sims, but I'm not sure where // how to do so. Old posts that I looked at suggested there may be technical issues.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.

A factory unlock is basically not possible (as you've found out). This leaves you with jailbreaking or hardware unlocks as options, but this really does start to get into the realm of technical feasibility. Unlocking can be a tedious process that requires upkeep, so it is good to know what you're getting into when weighing the pros/cons. For example, how proficient are you with computers, and how willing are you to either forgo future os updates vs keeping up with your unlock?

Thanks for your reply.
I'm OK with computers, I use them rather than program them. I would really only want to use the phone as a something to enable me to use the phone function with a local provider when out of Japan. (most likely Aus, US, SE Asia) Not updating to new OS wouldn't worry me.

In that case start looking into jailbreaking. If is possible with your particular handset/firmware then that may be the way to go.

Otherwise you may need to look into things like gevey sims or their alternatives.

Thanks! I'll research with those terms.
You don't by chance know somewhere in Tokyo that will do it?

You don't need to unlock your phone. You need to purchase a sim adapter. Its called R-sim and you can buy it online at amazon. Costs only about 1000 yen or so. Be sure to choose your phone model, network carrier and also the ios version you have.

As already mentioned, Gevey sim, r-sim and other "sim adapters" are an option. Note that they come with their own issues, such as being device/network specific, and possibly requiring the unlocking procedure to be repeated every time the phone is reset. I'd look into jailbreaking first since its the most elegant and doesn't cost anything. If that doesn't work then explore sim adapters.

Thank you very much for the info.

I looked at www.officialiphoneunlock.co.uk but when entered with scam it turned up a lot of very negative reviews.

I've given up on the idea of using it as a second phone for travel and want to give it to a friend in Aus. By any you know if there is an English language step by step guide to jailbreaking it for use in Australia.

The process is the same regardless of where you intend to use your phone (although not all handsets can be jailbroken to the same degree). Try google for instructions. Note that you should be able to find all the info and tools you need without having to pay anyone for them.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=jailbreak%20iphone

Thanks again.
Just to clarify, I thought there was something different about Japanese mobiles that meant the solution had to be particular to Japanese phones. It seems from the links that this isn't the case.
Is my understanding right?
Also, it:s a 5c not a 5s... if that makes much difference.

There could be some network compatibility issues, but this is a general unlocking issue and not something specific to Japanese iphones. The general issue with Japanese iphones is policy not hardware, which means that typical legitimate 3rd party unlockers also cannot unlock your phone.