The Press Hacker

Do you have a cell phone? Probably so, most all of us do these days. Did you know that your cell phone has a locking feature placed on it by the company that provides your service? They do this specifically so that you cannot leave them without going through the hassle of letting them know first. There are many reasons why and the very popular watchdog, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights – located in Santa Monica, California – took on two major carriers to help fight this battle.

Some cell phones are designed to use a Subscriber Identification Module or (SIM) card. The SIM card is issued by a carrier and provides cell service by activating any phone into which it is inserted. A locked phone, however, will only recognize a SIM card from a particular carrier. If the cell phone is unlocked, it will recognize a SIM card from any carrier. The “lock” is a software setting that keeps the cell phone “loyal” to one carrier.

In areas like Los Angeles, Calif., where cell phone carriers offer free or deeply discounted phones with cell plans, the phones are commonly locked so that they will not work with other carriers. Carriers claim this is necessary to subsidize the cost of the phones. After a period of time, a carrier might agree to unlock the phone upon request, perhaps charging a fee. However, due to proprietary settings sometimes installed in locked handsets, the phones don’t always function correctly with other carriers, even once unlocked.

From the viewpoint of the consumer, the practice of carriers locking phones and using proprietary settings defeats many of the benefits of SIM handsets. Complaints led to a class action suit filed in California in June 2004 by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, stating that Ideally phones should be left unlocked, or at least the cell unlocked after the initial contract expires.

One way to get a cell unlocked is to buy it new from a third party vendor in its original, unlocked state. The downside is that the price is commonly close to full retail. Some consumers might find it tough to dish out big bucks for a phone that they can get for free with a plan. The advantage is that the third party unlocked cell phone should work equally well with any carrier that uses SIM cards.

Getting a cell unlocked is in such demand that third party services will unlock your cell phone for a fee. This doesn’t guarantee the phone will always work correctly, as proprietary settings might remain. There are also hacking instructions online to unlock many models of phones, but a phone that is unlocked improperly can be rendered inoperable.

Before purchasing an unlock code, check to see that your phone is not already unlocked! This might save you some money. You can check by simply inserting a SIM from a different network into the phone.