What is an unlocked phone? Unlocked phone is a phone that is tied down to one specific network provider. If you want to have an unlocked phone, what do you need to do? Do you have to buy an unlocked phone? Or can your existing phone can be unlocked? In this article we answer all these questions and explore the benefits of unlocked phones and why you would want to unlock your phone.
Most of the time when you buy a cell phone, it is locked to one phone carrier and can only be used with this carrier. Phone networks like T-Mobile or AT&T lock their phones because they do not want their customers to take their business elsewhere and customers usually agree to 1 or 2 year service contracts because a phone carrier subsidizes the cost of a mobile phone. However, you don’t have to be stuck with one carrier. You can buy an unlocked phone that will work with any GSM carrier or you can unlock your existing phone at FreeUnlocks.com. The benefits of using an unlocked phone are very considerable and will be outlined in details further in this article.
Locked phones are very common in the US. Almost everyone you know has or has had a locked phone for a long period of time. Americans are used to 2 year service contracts in exchange of subsidized cell phones. American consumers are willing to enter into contract with phone carriers in order to have an opportunity to pay a small amount of money for a high-end and expensive cell phone.
However, it is completely different story in Europe. Many expensive and recently released mobile phones are sold without a subsidy and their cost is higher than in the United States. For instance, iPhone 5 16 GB costs around $650 and around $850 for 64GB.
On the other hand, unlocked phones cost around $400 more than the same subsidized phones, but they can be used with any carrier of your choice and you have an opportunity to find the communication plan that is perfect for your specific needs and budget. The difference between locked and unlocked phone is:
1. Locked phones are cheaper, but can only be used with a network provider they were bought from. Phone carriers subsidize the cost of high-end mobile phones and allow obtaining them at more affordable price, but spreading the price of the phone in a costly usually 2-year data and voice plan contract.
2. Unlocked phones are sold at a full retail price, but can be used with any compatible phone carrier.
Basically the only difference between locked and unlocked version of the identical cell phone is a hidden software lock that does not allow a phone to be used at any other networks. When you unlock a phone, you remove or turn this lock off.
You always have a choice to buy an unlocked phone. And many consumers just like you buy unlocked phones. However, network providers do not like when customers get a plan without buying a cell phone from them, and sometimes make it hard to get a plan without a prior phone purchase. You will pay a higher price for an unlocked phone, but you may actually save money in the long run.
If you plan to use your unlocked phone on different network, you may not be able to move your phone to some networks. For instance, you cannot move CDMA cell phones from Verizon to a GSM network such as AT&T. LTE networks are not interchangeable either. Unlocked phones always work with GSM phones on GSM phone networks. Usually, a simple SIM card switch will do the job. LTE networks use SIM cards as well, but they use different frequency ranges and bands.
Unlocked iPhone will not work on CDMA network, so do not plan to use it on Verizon. Unlocked iPhones will only work on support GSM networks, such as AT&T. If you decide to travel abroad, you can use a nano-SIM card for your iPhone from your local GSM carrier.
All four major carriers in the US have different policies towards the use of unlocked phones. GSM networks are usually more willing to work with customers who have unlocked phones. CDMA networks are more cautioned about unlocked phones because CDMA technology makes cell phones less reliable when they are used on another carrier.
Unlocked phones offer quite a few benefits over locked phones. Unlocked phones, as mentioned above, can be used with any compatible network provider. Unlocked phones have a higher resale value. And, finally, unlocked phones can be used abroad with a local SIM card. This simple trick will help you to save money on roaming charges.
You can buy an unlocked phone if you were planning to buy a new phone anyway. However, if you already own a locked cell phone and would like to unlock it, go to our site FreeUlocks.com. At FreeUnlocks.com you can unlock your cell phone in a matter of a few minutes. FreeUnlocks.com has been launched back in 2009 and since that time we have successfully unlocked more than 86, 500 phones and so not intend to stop here.
At FreeUnlocks.com we strive to offer legal, safe, quick and permanent phone unlocks only. At Freeunlocks.com cell phones are being unlocked via remote unlock codes that we personally generate for our customers. Currently, we offer two ways to unlock a phone. First, you can unlock your mobile phone for a small and competitive fee. And, second, you can unlock your phone for free via a payment platform TrialPay. To get a free phone unlock, you will need to select and complete one free offer from our business partner TrialPay. After you’ve completed the offer and your order has been processed and paid for by TrialPay, we will start generating unlock codes for your phone. Usually, in just 15 minutes we are able to email the codes to your email address, but in some cases it takes around 48 hours to generate functional SIM network unlock PINs. Once you received the codes, enter them into your phone unlock it instantly and permanently.
