Unlocked Phones Bring Total Wireless Freedom

A cellphone is typically designed to carry a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card. It is a microchip inserted into the back of the phone that carries with it identification about the subscription of the owner. The SIM card is typically issued by the carrier and once it is inserted into a phone, it is able to activate the phone. The subscriber may now make calls, send text messages and perform other functions within the phone and the SIM's prescribed features. If you have in your possession a locked cellphone, it can only be activated by a SIM card from a certain carrier.

A marketing trick

 Unlocked phones mean that any SIM card, regardless of the carrier, may be used to activate it. A locked cellphone basically means that you cannot use it with any other SIM card other than the carrier it is designed for.

Cell phones come cheaply and often free with a plan in the United States. In order to maximize the benefits they can get with the subscribers, carriers usually lock the handsets in order to keep them loyal and exclusive to their network. This is a marketing trick that keeps the customer tied to their products and services, the carriers claim that this is necessary to subsidize the cost of the handset. Some carriers agree to unlock the cellphone after some period of time (usually after the contract has expired) and for a certain fee.

Locked and loaded

The only problem is newly unlocked phones may still refuse to work with SIM cards from other carriers. This is unlocked phones still retain some ownership settings.

 The demand for unlocked phones is on the rise as many consumers believe that locked cell phones on ownership settings limit the benefits and features of the SIM and the handset itself.  This enforced exclusivity on only one carrier drove the citizens of California to file a class action suit in June 2004. The American Watch Dog organization "Foundation for Taxpayers and Consumer Rights" demanded that unlocked phones should be the norm or at the very least, until the contract with the carrier expires.

Contract expiry

The phones should ideally be open to other options after that. The locked cellphone features limits the subscriber to a lifetime contract to its carrier by virtue of the "lock" system.

There are now services that could turn your locked phones into unlocked phones for a fee. This however, like mentioned earlier, does not guarantee that the cellphone will function completely with a new carrier SIM. A quick search online for unlocked phones will also yield step by step instructions on how to unlock certain models of mobile phones. You must be warned however that the improper handling of your mobile set may cause damage to your phone.

Wireless freedom vs. cost

Your best bet for acquiring unlocked phones is to buy it from a third party vendor, independent from any carrier. Here you can purchase a phone that is in its original pre-locked state. The only disadvantage is that the price is close to full retail which makes consumers think twice about spending for a phone that they can get for free. The freedom unlocked phones provide however makes the spending worth it.