Unlocking Cell Phones For Dummies

Most cell phone service providers electronically lock the phone so that it can only be used with their service and there are reasons why they do that in particular, to force you to pay a high roaming charges while you are out of their network and using it in other part of the world.



This electronic lock is breakable and with some phones, it is possible to simply enter an unlocking password code to break the lock. However there are phones which needs to be connected to a special unlocking data terminal to break the lock.



The first thing to know is if your phone can be unlocked or not and the answer is, all GSM phones can be unlocked because the whole locking/unlocking phones doesn't apply to non GSM phones as in non GSM your phone number and account is tied to your phone, not to the movable SIM chip that is inside it.



There are two ways to unlock a cell phone



Easiest is if you have a phone that can be unlocked simply by keying a secret code into it. The code is usually a unique number only for that particular phone, based on its serial number (what is called its IMEI) and the service provider who locked it. For most models of Nokia phones and some other types of phones, too. It costs only $5 and is easy for you to enter into your phone.



Another way needs phone's 'firmware' - their operating system software - to be rewritten to remove the lock. This requires connecting the phone via a special data cable to a special programming unit.



One way to get the code number is to call your service provider and tell them that you would like to unlock your phone. The service provider may ask for a few weeks notice. They may also charge you an 'unlocking fee' depending on the circumstances that you got the phone under; for instance, they may need you to have stayed on that particular network for a minimum period of 12 months if you were on a post paid plan. The mobile provider will then provide you with a code that you will need to type into your phone and the phone will unlock immediately. If your operator refuses to help you unlock your phone due to 'policy' you can do the following:



a) Use of phone unlocking forums - One way is to look for your phone's unlock code by searching through mobile forums



b) Use of software to unlock your phone - Another way is by calculating the code using a data cable and some special software. You have to make sure that the code you get is for your phone model otherwise it will not work.



There are several companies that offer these services at a small fee and the unlocking will be done for you easily and quickly.



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