UNLOCK PHONE

To know what does unlocked cell phone mean, you need to know a bit about GSM phones and how they work. All GSM phones work with SIM (subscriber identity modules) installed in them, which are specific to every carrier network. To be able to use the cell phone service of any carrier, the SIM card needs to be inserted into the cell phone, without which it cannot work. The SIM provides the cell phone with a unique cell phone number and grants access to the carrier's cell phone network.

A locked cell phone is a phone that is programmed to be tethered to a single cell phone service provider. That means, the phone doesn't recognize any other cell phone service provider, other than the one its locked to. It only works with the SIM card of the carrier to which it's programmed to work with. An unlocked cell phone is one which has been released from this restriction of being tethered to one network.

Many carriers like AT&T offer GSM phones with discounted plans which are locked to function exclusively with that service. The phone can be unlocked by the carrier on request if you have the full ownership of the phone. There are private companies which can unlock cell phones for you, in return of a fixed fee. Now that you know what are unlocked cell phones, we can talk about the advantages of unlocking in the rest of this article.

What Does it Mean to Have an Unlocked Cell Phone?

What are the benefits of using an unlocked cell phone for the user? For starters, once the cell phone is unlocked, the owner can use SIM cards of any carriers on the phone and is no longer restricted to a single carrier. When traveling, a locked cell phone can be a problem as you cannot use any of the local SIM cards on it.

On the other hand, with an unlocked phone, a user can save on the phone bills by using the service of a local carrier. Moreover, other than the freedom to use any cell phone service, your ownership of the phone demands that its use be fully under your control.

If you are under a contract with the cell phone carrier and it has provided you with the phone at a subsidized price, you may have to pay them for getting it unlocked. Otherwise, if you are the sole owner of the phone and under no contract obligations, you should get the phone unlocked for free, from the carrier. Check out this Buzzle article explaining how to unlock a cell phone to know all about it