||||| Sim Lock Guide ||||
WHY LOCKED
If you get
a cheap mobile phone , the operator wants you to use HIS network for the
discount you got. The operator can do this by making you sign contracts, OR he
can lock the phone so you can't use the SIM of a different operator in that
phone as a hardware restriction.
A phone with SIMLOCK is like a radio that
can be tuned to 1 station only.
WHAT IS LOCKED:
- a Phone can be locked
- the SIM is NEVER locked!
The SIM itself is not locked: you can use
it in any compatible cellular phone.
HOW TO KNOW IF PHONE IS
LOCKED:
Only phones bought in a "package",
together with a SIM, can be locked. If the phone is locked, it is allways
written on the box (legal reasons)! If you have to sign a contract
before they let you take the phone home, it is likely to be NOT locked. But if
you don't have to legitimeer yourself at all, it is probably locked.
A phone is likely to be locked if:
- it is realy cheap;
- you didn't even have to tell your name
in the shop (eg prepaid).
A phone is likely NOT to be locked if:
- it is realy old (Nokia 2110 etc.);
- you signed a contract to pay abonnement
for at least a year;
- if you buy a loose phone without a SIM
(off course).
But only by trying with a
different SIM you can be sure.
The SIMs and the phones won't break from
this.
WHAT SORTS OF LOCK ARE
THERE:
- lock phone to SIM
- lock phone to OPERATOR (network
lock)
- lock phone to CODE (product lock =
offer lock)
If your phone is locked to the
SIM you cannot use any other SIM than the one you have: SIM broken
makes phone useless.
If your phone is locked to an
operator, you can use any SIM from this operator in your phone. You
can switch between abonnement and prepaid as you wish, but not to a different
operator.
If your phone is locked to a
code, the phone checks a special "password" (GID) on the SIM that must
match your phone. Providers often use different passwords for abonnement and
prepaid.
Note: a phone can have more than 1 lock
active at the same time!
 info@tones-n-things.com
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