Talk:SIM lock

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I live in Hungary but never heard about SIM unlocking being prohibited by laws. It just violates the warranty, nothing more.

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[edit] SIM Unlocking Procedure.

I am trying to unlock two Nokia phones, 6200 and 3220. Both are from US, the 6200 is a former ATT Wireless, and the 3220 from T-Mobile. The contract from 6200 expired six months ago. I asked ATTWS for a SIM Unlock code and the Customer Support pretended to never heard of such a thing. T-Mobile has provided an unlock code, without any instructions on how to use it. My repeated requests to clarify the instructions are left unanswered.

I have searched the WWW and there is some much incoherent information without a clear cut instructions, like should the phone have SIM in it during the unlocking process or not. Some sites say it should, some say it should not. Since I have only five attempts( all sites in agreement on that ) I don't want to risk it. Also, what are sll those unlocking codes, up to seven for, each IMEI? No explanation.

Can anyone out there help?

well the answer is that you must take out the sim card, it works like that (i have done it before) without any risks or problems Sam

[edit] unlocking your nokia

For Nokia and other brands, use www.trycktill.com or www.gsmcity.de, if you succeed you could donate some to wikipedia?!

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I know Wiki isn't meant to be a "how-to", but this tutorial I wrote should help people out. You could also use some of the information for the SIM lock page... http://vitriol.t35.com/html/articles/simlocks.html

If you need help, email me: vitriolist@gmail.com

It's not prohibited in Finland, at least any longer, as there are available certain contracts with locked phones like Elisa Paketti. Dmit 21:34, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] For what its worth...a free site for unlocking your phone

Due to what seems to me to be overly restrictive Editors, I can't post this link on the main page of this article. I have used this site twice, it worked both times and it's free. If I had known about it before I started trying to unlock my phone it would have saved me some time and hassle- so for what its worth here it is, take it or leave it. http://www.trycktill.com/eng/ --Trounce 11:38, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

I 've just found this article explainig Nokia boxcodes- its not bad. http://www.unlockme.co.uk/codesexplained.html --Trounce 12:21, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
Actually the whole website seems fairly sound- But I haven't used it. http://www.unlockme.co.uk --Trounce 12:32, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wikibooks how-to-unlock article

Does anyone want to see how-to guides on unlocking cellphones on Wikibook? Shawnc 05:03, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes. Please link to them from this article.
Guides for unlocking lots of different handsets

[edit] Bogus link?

Just a note from a random passerby. The second link under External Links links to some guy's opinion on Motorola's ring tones. Other than the header it offers nothing about unlocking anything. Just a FYI. yeah it is but hard as hell to find a code

[edit] Ofcom and unlocking pay-as-you-go handsets in the UK

I just removed a section including this text:

In the United Kingdom, government regulator OFCOM dictates that networks must release the unlocking information to customers for non-contract handsets (e.g. Pay as you go) on request.

I can find no such information on the Ofcom site. The closest I found was a ruling from 1998 saying Oftel (as it was at the time) believed (not regulated) that "unsubsidised phones should not be sim-locked unless an operator can demonstrate an objective justification for doing so" [1].

Additionally, Ofcom appear to have stopped providing guidelines on the practice of SIM unlocking. Currently, their consumer advice section only mentions that unlocking is available, but is subject to the networks' terms [2]. — Christopher (talk) @ 14:26, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Proposed merge of "Subsidy lock (cellular)" and "Unlocked gsm phone" into this article

I support the merge proposed by user:IlyaHaykinson. I can't see any reason for having three separate articles all covering fundamentally the same thing.

Note that the two articles above do not appear to be referenced at all, and in parts have an air of original research about them. I'd be wary when merging the material in. Fourohfour 12:22, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

I agree. Magioladitis 07:03, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

I disagree - 'SIM Lock' is what it's referred to pretty much everywhere in the world. It would be better to merge 'Subsidy Lock' into -this- article, and redirect subsidy to here. Xrobau 09:44, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

"SIM lock" does have a lot more hits than "subsidy lock". Shawnc 07:38, 15 July 2007 (UTC)
Either way, I note that no-one has opposed merging in itself. Fourohfour 13:18, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Why are they not all merged under Cellular/Mobile Phone? B.Soto 04:18, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

Please keep in mind that you are a bunch of experts discussing a highly technical subject. The unwashed masses, such as myself in this case, don't understand what the heck a "SIM lock" is, much less what GSM is, or, that CDMA doesn't have "unlocked" phones (or does it?). When I searched Wikipedia, I searched for "unlocked cell phone" so please don't confuse the ignorant. An encyclopedia should have general entry titles that explain the technicalities in the body of the article, not the reverse. Don't merge under "SIM lock." 71.161.218.208 18:54, 5 September 2007 (UTC)


There seems to be unanimous consensus for the 3-way merge. The wish to be able to find "unlocked cell phone" is met by a redirect. To get the ball rolling I will simply replace "Subsidy lock (cellular)" and "Unlocked gsm phone" with a redirect to SIM lock, following Wikipedia's injunction "Be bold". I haven't incorporated any of the material from the other articles. Please fell free to revert or to continue the task. Best wishes Pol098 20:59, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Illogical statement

The text has the following sentence: "At this time in most countries it is either mandatory or voluntary for the provider to unlock the customer's mobile phone."

I don't get the intention of the original writer since it is of course either mandatory or voluntary to do something. Could it be otherwise? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 203.116.59.13 (talk • contribs).

I agree, and have added a "clarify me" tag. It was either that or removing the statement. Fourohfour 19:30, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
I changed the statement to say that in most countries it is legal if not mandatory to do so, which I believe was the original author's intent. --69.123.165.15 23:47, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] USA-centric

this article is USA centric, e.g. in Italy almost no cellphone is locked

Disagree - Most countries DO have SIM Locked phones. Australia, for example, has lots of phones that are locked to a certain carrier, but allmost all of those carriers will let you unlock the phone for no, or a small, fee. Xrobau 09:46, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
The "Laws on SIM locking" section has information on different countries. If you have references about Italy or other places, you can add them to the article. Shawnc 07:36, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dutch law

I just added a reference to a statement by the Dutch telecommunication authority (OPTA) on the 12-month period for simlocks in the Netherlands.

Literally the statement says: "SIM-lock - System wherein a code is used to couple a SIM card to a certain mobile phone. Operators may use a SIMlock for subscriptions that include payoff for the phone over the course of several months (at most 12). The SIM-lock actually is a protection against theft." (I don't know what that last sentence means either) 194.171.252.100 12:59, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] AT&T unlocks phones?

“ In the United States, the two national GSM carriers, T-Mobile and AT&T Mobility will unlock your handset if you have an active account in good standing for at least 90 days ”

A citation is provided for T-Mobile... could someone provide a citation for the claim that AT&T does this? TerraFrost 18:02, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Error: Vodafone unlocks for free

The article says:

In Australia [...] Most carriers except Vodafone charge a fee for the unlock code / instructions, [...] The Vodafone network will unlock a handset free of charge after 48 hours of ownership via this page on their website.:

So I bought a phone on eBay that was locked to Vodafone, thinking I'll unlock it for free when I get it. But when I go to that page, it wants to charge me $25AUD.
So it's worth saying again, always double-check your facts on Wikipedia. Maybe somebody can clarify or fix this Rfwoolf (talk) 12:11, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Laws on SIM Locking: Hong Kong

The Hong Kong SIM locking law was mentioned in the article. According to the history page[3], that section reads "In Hong Kong, carriers are not allowed to sell locked mobile phones, with the exception of some PDA phone models, such as those offered by RIM (Research In Motion)." prior to the September 19 revision, and was then changed to "Hong Kong carriers are allowed to sell locked mobile phones. The Hong Kong Telecommunications Authority hasn't revised their 1997 ruling which allowed SIM locking." As far as I am aware of, no discussion regrading this change has been taken place. The cited page[4] provide no support for the change. On the contrary, according to a statement from the OFTA[5] (which, ironically, could be found on the cited page), SIM Locking is forbidden in Hong Kong "if 'SIM Lock' is solely used for the purpose of tying customers to networks". Therefore, I propose that we should change it back to the original version, any objection?GodfreyChan (talk) 23:17, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Changed.GodfreyChan (talk) 07:39, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Controversy section?

As seen in the case of the iPhone, there is much controversy surrounding this subject; I think that this article can be expanded that way. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wiknerd (talk • contribs) 15:34, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Could more info about the new protections implemented by Nokia be added?

I would like to know more about what Nokia is doing to make their locks stronger than they were in the past --TiagoTiago (talk) 00:42, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] More details about the different unlocking processes?

I would like to read more about how the different unlocking processes are done (including both the ones that only require a code to be typed ont he device aswell the ones that require specific hardware). Also would be interested in learning the differences between the unlocking techiniques used by DIYers/third-party companies and the ones used by the operators that locked the devices --TiagoTiago (talk) 00:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Error? Regulations on unlocking

The article says this:

(In many markets, it is also unlikely that a customer would prematurely unlock a pay-as-you-go phone over the counter, since they are legally bound by any such contract anyway).

Should it not read pay monthly (Contract) rather than pay-as-you-go. It seem perfectly reasonable that someone would unlock a pay-as-you-go phone as soon as it bought. But with a pay monthly (Contract) phone, you'd have to pay the monthly fee even after unlocking it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.107.169.190 (talk) 19:07, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

[Iphone in France] Isn't the french Iphone still simlocked to country? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.42.223.209 (talk) 14:17, 13 June 2008 (UTC)