Unlocked mobile phones: What you need to know

Many mobile phone users these days like to have some flexibility with the network they use and the contracts they sign when purchasing a new handset. Unlocked mobile phones are phones that are not “locked” to any one carrier. Therefore, the phone will generally take any SIM card that you wish to use, although some conditions do apply for certain handsets. If you wish to have maximum network flexibility, read on for the facts.

Benefits of unlocked mobile phones

The main reason people tend to like unlocked mobile phones is, in essence, flexibility. Some people prefer to have one handset and more than one SIM in order to switch for business/personal purposes. For example, if you had a business that offered overnight on-call locksmith services, you could insert the SIM card for that business after hours, and then revert back to your daytime business SIM in the morning.

Other people may use unlocked mobile phones in order to reap benefits of each SIM provider’s special offers. It’s cheaper than operating several different mobile handsets, and can also be a great option for people who travel a lot and buy pre-paid SIM cards in different countries around the world.

Unlocking a phone that is under contract

A phone that is under contract with a service provider is a veritable nightmare to unlock. Usually, even if you innocently lock yourself out of your own phone because you forget the password, you will have to go through a long-drawn-out phone call with a carrier staff member and answer a series of privacy-related questions before you can even gain access to your own mobile phone again.

This type of situation does not suit everyone, but for many, being able to choose your carrier, change them regularly if you like, change numbers easily and insert pre-paid SIM’s whenever you wish is the only option. It is certainly a no-strings attached approach to mobile phone ownership.

Sometimes, when you finish up a contract with a carrier you can request to leave their network and therefore have the phone unlocked – which means you were able to pay the phone off overtime through your contract with the carrier and then switch the phone to an unlocked and flexible service anyway.

However, some phones will be exclusive to one carrier – such as the BlackBerry Storm – and these phones cannot be unlocked. Bear this in mind if you seek the flexibility of an unlocked phone; be sure to ask about eligibility for your handset of choice first.