Unlocked Cell Phone

by Heather McLaughlin

An unlocked cell phone is a way to free yourself from a wireless carrier.

If you’ve purchased a particular cell phone, you like it and know how to use it, but you don’t care for your wireless carrier, cell phone unlocking is an option that you might consider.

Unlocking your cell phone is as easy as accessing a new IMEI code. This code is typically found on the SIM another SIM card of service provider. Most cell phone providers lock their mobile phones so you can only use the phone with their service. It comes as no surprise that the web offers plenty of information and cell phone unlocking services.

Before you decide to unlock your cell phone, it’s a good idea to know a little about the process. Most cell phones are designed to utilize a SIM card or the Subscriber Identification Module. The Subscriber Identification Model is issued by the carrier and provides the cell service by automatically activating the cell phone that it’s inserted in. A locked phone is programmed to only recognize or read the SIM card from that particular carrier.

With an unlocked cell phone, it will recognize the SIM card from any of the carrier. As defined, the lock is the software setting which keeps the cell phone loyal to its one and only carrier. In the United States, if the carrier provides discounted cell phone plans, locked cell phones are commonly found.

Locked cell phones are important to wireless carriers because they help subsidize the phone costs. Many of these locked cell phones might be sold at a significant discount if the user agrees to a new two year or three year service agreement.

After a period of time, some carriers agree to unlock the cell phone upon the users request. There is an applicable service fee for subscribers that wish to unlock from their wireless provider. Sometimes proprietary settings which are installed on the locked handsets can cause the cell phones to fail to function when using other carriers even when they are unlocked.

According to some consumers’, the practice of most carriers when it comes to unlocking the phones, including the use of proprietary settings, essentially defeats the SIM handsets benefits. But unlocking a cell phone doesn’t have to be so difficult, there are easy ways where you can unlock your cell phone by your own.

You can unlock your cell phone in two basic ways. Sometimes you can unlock it by entering the code in it. This code is connected to your phone and was linked to a particular serial number of your handset. In fact, the code can be purchased for under $30.00 and once you’ve unlocked it, you can switch to other cell phone providers or travel internationally.

With some mobile phones, the process isn’t quite so simple. Some phones have to unlock the service or the operating system, meaning that the phone basically has to be rewritten in order to remove your lock. If you have this kind of handset, then you will need a data cable programming to unit which is quite expensive. After unlocking the cell phone, you will receive a message that says it has been unlocked which means you are now free to select your service provider that you want. Once you get a new service provider, it is important to inquire if the phone will become locked again, since it is still possible.

Are you using a Blackberry? Unlock it here.

Tags: blackberry unlock, mobile phones unlocked, unlocked, unlocked cell phone