subject: Unlocked Phones Can Work With Any Sim Card [print this page] Many service providers program their GSM phones so that they won't work with SIM cards from another carrier. Unlocking your GSM phone means to overwrite that programming so that it will work with any SIM card, from any carrier.
Entering secret codes yourself is just one way to unlock a GSM phone. Though Nokia phones are generally unlocked through codes that can be very cheaply purchased, many Motorola, BenQ-Siemens, and Sony Ericsson models will require a firmware rewrite. In these cases, the phone must be sent to a company with the special hardware required. Not all companies can reflash all makes and models of cell phones, so be sure to first check that your particular phone is serviceable.
But what if your wireless company objects? In all probability, they won't. Unless there is some stipulation in your service contract that obliges you to never alter your phone in any way whatsoever, it's your phone, you own it. And even given such a clause it's still possible to actually unlock your phone. Also, your carrier just wants you to use the service, and they will make money whether the phone is locked phone or unlocked. Besides, you probably wouldn't unlock your phone unless you were switching to another carrier, in which case it doesn't matter what the old carrier thinks!
Just be sure to keep any unlocking codes for future reference, because there has been a report of a carrier relocking a phone - even though it wasn't issued by that carrier in the first place! You can determine if your phone is unlocked by using another SIM card in it.
When thinking of cellular accessories, images of carrying cases and belt clips probably come first to mind. Some things might even be from the Didn't Know You Need It Department. But the most amazing accessory of all is likely to be overlooked, as it's from the Didn't Even Know It Was An Accessory Department! That's because it isn't an object to go with a cell phone but a service that's performed on one. But think about what it means to accessorize a cell phone. Doesn't it mean to help you use your cell phone better somehow, and/or enhance your experience of the device?
Well, unlocking your phone, while not an accessory as such, certainly enhances your cellular phone experience! More than carrying cases or belt clips, unlocking your GSM cell phone is the ultimate in cellular accessories, in a sense the one true must-have.
