An unlocked phone can give you the flexibility of using different type of SIM cards on your cell phone. On the other hand, a locked phone will only work on a SIM card that is exclusive to the service provider that your phone was initially subscribed to. You cannot use alternative SIM cards on a locked phone. This can be a hassle to a lot of people. If you are no longer happy with the services of your network provider, you have no choice but to buy a different handset. Else, if you have an unlocked phone, all you need to do is to change SIM cards and keep the phone. Travellers benefit a lot from an unlocked phone. This way, they do not need to pay extra when they go abroad and just use a different type of SIM card on their phone to save on roaming charges.

Because a lot of cell phone users want the flexibility of using different SIM cards on their phone, there are many phone unlocking services that you can find on the Internet and offline as well. But before you pay someone for cell phone unlock services, you can try doing it on your own.

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Before you go through the phone unlocking procedure, you need to know if you have a GSM or a CDMA phone. A GSM phone has a SIM card slot on it and uses a SIM card to be able to function. This is the only type of phone that can possibly be unlocked. CDMA phones cannot be unlocked.

Your first option is to call up the service provider that you are subscribed to. If you are lucky, you can get the unlock code for free, especially if you have been with them for years. This is by far the simplest way to have your phone unlock.

If you do not want to deal with phone unlocking yourself, you can pay someone else to do it for you. You can search the Internet for phone unlocking services or hand your phone to a reliable cell phone technician nearest to you.

But if you want to unlock cell phone yourself, get the IMEI number of your cell phone by typing in *#06# on your phone. The IMEI number is also the serial number of your phone. You can also find this same number at the back of your cell phone just right under the battery.

You then need to download a software that can generate unlock codes. This can be found on the Internet at no cost. Some paid softwares usually offer support for users. Upon downloading the software, you need to provide your IMEI number and the manufacturer of your phone. You will be given a code that you can use for phone unlocking. If the phone does not allow you to use a different SIM card on it, the unlock code is not valid and you can use another one. Once you get your phone unlocked with the right code, you can try using a different SIM card on it and use the full features of your cell phone just the same.

Lance Peters – About the Author:

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Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/different-ways-to-unlock-phone-3618944.html

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