Unlocked Cell Phones - Comments Page 1

My only comments are that I find Mr. Rankin's columns thoughtful, knowledgeable and surprisingly thorough; and that the article should make specific mention of the latest "phones" sweeping the globe (viz. the Blackberry, Iphone, Droid, etc.) given their popularity.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Short answer: Droid is Verizon, and CDMA only. iPhone is AT&T only. The BlackBerry follows the same rules as all other phones, when it comes to carriers and unlocking. AT&T sells GSM-based Blackberry phones, which do have SIMs. Verizon sells CDMA Blackberrys. One exception: Blackberry 8830 World Edition from Verizon operates on both CDMA and GSM, and can be unlocked for GSM networks, but ONLY outside North America.

Actually Phone companies MUST unlock your phone by law, if you ask them to: especially if your contract is over or if you are on a pay as you go service. I had a T-mobile phone and was leaving the country (obama was elected), and called them. They gave me a code that I punched into the phone and that was it.

Not entirely accurate to say Verizon do not offer 'GSM' phones. Verizon phones designed to operate internationally do have sim cards for use on GSM networks; of course when used in the USA theses phones default to Verizon's CDMA network.

I suspect the same is true for Sprint & Nextel, for those phones designed to work internationally also.

Bob, I suggest you put the date of the articles beside them so that we are not reading about products and services that are now superceded.
Thanks

I do NOT understand ... America, the land of freedom, does NOT let you choose carrier and/or cellphone. OMG ... OMG ...
OK, I could understand that if some carrier sells some "special" cellphone, and that it only works with his services ... OK ... But a cellphone to just make calls ? I really don't understand ...
I remember the times that we Europeans were so jealous about the USA phone system ... About the "freedom" it had ... e.g. you could call your neighbours for free while we Europeans had to pay each and every minute. Calling a neighbour costed as much as calling a friend 30/40/50 miles away...
But now ... OMG ... poor Americans ... Don't you see how you get screwed by your phone companies now???
I walk into a store, see a nice cellphone, buy it, put my Simm card in, and I start calling right away. NO problems.
I see that a provider has better conditions than the one I'm with now ? I go into their store, buy a simmcard, put it in my phone, and start calling (using the new plan immediatly) When I change operator, even my phone number stays the same ! (for this I'll have to contact my "old" provider first, but IT IS THE LAW that obliges my "old" provider to pass on my number to my "new" provider...)
Anyhow ... friendly greetings, Happy New Year etc ... etc ... oh ... and give me a call me soon ! *VBS*

If you want to unlock Nokia N73, you just have to press: *#7370# .Make sure you saved your contacts,pictures,etc. When backup from pc be careful NOT to backup files otherwise it will get lock again. All the best if you have any problem you can contact me. Get my mail add. from Bob. Have a great day!

I live in Luxor, Egypt, and when friends from the UK visit me, I always advise them to go to the local Vodafone shop, and buy a Holiday SIM card for about $3. This means that all calls are at the local rate, including international calls. The problem with the tie to a provider is that roaming charges apply, so that the person called also has to pay. And the charges are far higher. If their phone is locked, there are several nearby shops that will unlock it for a small fee.

Well what I am wondering about is: can I take a GSM phone (I would like an iphone) and get it unlocked, and have it work in a CDMA area? I only have Alltel and Verizon networks where I live.

EDITOR'S NOTE: As far as I know, you just CAN'T buy an iPhone without getting the AT&T service plan. And a GSM phone can't be used on a CDMA network.

Actually, like all software driven devices, ALL cell phones can be unlocked. It's just a matter of putting in the proper codes. If your carrier won't unlock your phone, go to an "agent" (ie, independent) location and 99 times out of a hundred, someone there will have the unlock codes and will get you free in a few minutes. I know, because I AM an agent.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ummm, an agent of what?

I travel in Mexico and USA. I use ATT&T GSM cell phone. I have 4 months left on current contract. My Question; Can I unlock my phone - buy a sim card from local Mexico area - return to USA and reinsert ATT sim card and use again in the USA. Then 2 months later, return to Mex and reinstert the Mex sim card and use that one again~??

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sounds like it should work to me.

I bought a T-Mobile Blackberry 8520 and had it unlocked. I put My AT&T sim card in and it worked for texting and phone service. But the internet does not work. No email or browser at all. How can I configure the phone to connect to AT&T Media Net? I wanted this phone for the email and internet.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Do you have a data/internet plan with AT&T? If so, contact them and ask why it's not working.

Along the lines of Barry Stephens' comment Feb 3rd I have two cell phones one for Rogers and one for British Tel. Would a dual sim phone solve the duplication problem? I hate leaving the hotel in London only to find it is my Rogers phone in my pocket not BTs'.

I have been a Sprint Customer for Years but Verizon has a new phone I have fallen in LOVE with! The Kin 1 is everything I need and want....small, compact and durable...it just fits me! But it is only offered through Verizon. If I purchased an unlocked Kin 1, could I still stay with Sprint or would I have to start all over again wih a new Carrier? I am happy with Sprint but would be MUCH happier with this phone!

Am awaiting your advice...and placing calls to see if Sprint can support the software required...

Great info Bob,

To those that need a bit of help with unlocking their phones I suggest looking at the guides over at free-cell-phone-unlock.com. It's where I have unlocked my Samsung and a few motos.

Question-I have AT&T with a 3G sim card but I no longer have a data plan.I want to buy a Samsung i637 Jack. I am getting different answers from everybody.
1.If I use a AT&T phone and use my sim card,will a data plan automatically be added?
2.If I use a unlocked Samsung i637 with my sim card will a data plan automatically be added?

Note:I have ATT with a 3G sim card (NO data plan).
I may want to change carriers later.
Thanks for your help

Dear Sir/Madam,
My son bought and brought me a Nokia C3 phone from the UK. I have the receipt etc with me.
I tried to use it in Ghana but I could not do so. I went to the offices of Vodafone in Ghana to get them help me to use it in Ghana. I was told that they do not do unlocking/decoding in Ghana.
What can I do to use the phone in Ghana? Vodafone is my service provider in Ghana and that is why I went in for the Nokia C3. The details on the receipt are as follows:
NOKIA C3 GREY PAYG f70.00
IMEI : 351984040580722
Payg Upgrade
CTN 07585354701
Manual SIM Swap

Your Salesperson was: JAY
22/07/10 13:13 060954 0031 0263

Please I am standing by to hear from you on what to do to be able to use my phone in Ghana.
Please give me detailed instructions on steps to take to be able to use the phone.
Thank you.
Samuel Konadu

I'm just back from a year in France. I paid big money to have cell service, and used the carrier Orange. My contract included a free phone that would be eligible to be unlocked after 6 months. I got the Nokia E71. Unfortunately, when Orange tried to unlock it, they messed up the code multiple times. Now the phone is hard-locked. My understanding is that the only way to unlock it is to have somebody hack into it. I'm back in the states and want to use this phone but can't unless I get it unlocked. Can you help me? Thanks!

how can i unlock my samsungt401g cell phone for free

Nice information