What is an Unlocked Cell Phone
Cell phones are probably the electronic devices with the highest sales volumes, all over the world. Mobile telephony is also one of the most competitive of all market sectors. There is cut throat competition among the cell phone service providers for their market share and they keep coming up with many new strategies to entice and retain their customer base. One such ploy implemented by many cell phone carriers like AT&T is locking of cell phones to their service exclusively.
What is an Unlocked Cell Phone Exactly?
All GSM phones work with a SIM (subscriber identity modules) installed in them, which is 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 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.
What Does it Mean to Have an Unlocked Cell Phone?
What are the benefits of using an unlocked mobile phone? 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.
Once you get your phone unlocked, there is the freedom of opting for any service provider of your choice and it also lets you use local SIM cards when you travel abroad. Since you own the phone anyway, it's your right to get it unlocked and have the freedom to use a SIM card of your choice.
