View Full Version : Unlocking SIM Lock on PPCPEs
Jon Westfall
09-13-2003, 08:04 AM
I'm one of those people who resent sim locks on phones. I understand the argument from the provider, but the technology doesn't have to be as overpriced in the first place to warrent a sim lock. Even to people like me who don't travel or intend on switching providers anytime soon, the idea that their phone is locked into one network can be annoying. Especially since i've had phones that I've wanted to continue using when their contracts were up but couldn't use them on a new provider that had a better deal.
Anyway, the point of this thread is to gauge how the community here feels about them. Do you think that Sim lock is justified? Do you want to get rid of your sim lock? I recently unlocked mine and felt a bit more freedom than before. Maybe I'm just weird.
JvanEkris
09-13-2003, 05:06 PM
Well, i see it from the dutch point of view, which could differ from the american vision. Let me sumarize the situation: SIM-lock is only justified if the rebates given are not automatically returned by the contractual terms. Basically, this is the only the case with pre-paid phones and expensive phones like PPCPE-phones Removing a SIM-lock yourself is illegal, because it is a breach of contract with the provider. Test-trials (under dutch law, judges are not allowed to fill in the blanks in current law, so it is based on the current state of the rules) have showed that people can be severily penalized under the current laws After the contract has ended the SIM-lock still not may be removed by anyone but the provider. But the provider is obliged by law to remove it for freeSeeing this construction, it is nothing more or less than a technical enforcement of the contract to guarantee that the phone-provider gets his rebate back. If the contract has ended, the provider has to remove the restriction. So basically, if you follow your contract, you don't have a problem with it. I'm very OK with it.
My personal opinion is that if you can't live with such a restriction, don't buy the product..............
Jaap
cyclist
10-17-2003, 01:19 PM
Well, i see it from the dutch point of view, which could differ from the american vision. Let me sumarize the situation: SIM-lock is only justified if the rebates given are not automatically returned by the contractual terms. Basically, this is the only the case with pre-paid phones and expensive phones like PPCPE-phones Removing a SIM-lock yourself is illegal, because it is a breach of contract with the provider. Test-trials (under dutch law, judges are not allowed to fill in the blanks in current law, so it is based on the current state of the rules) have showed that people can be severily penalized under the current laws After the contract has ended the SIM-lock still not may be removed by anyone but the provider. But the provider is obliged by law to remove it for freeSeeing this construction, it is nothing more or less than a technical enforcement of the contract to guarantee that the phone-provider gets his rebate back. If the contract has ended, the provider has to remove the restriction. So basically, if you follow your contract, you don't have a problem with it. I'm very OK with it.
My personal opinion is that if you can't live with such a restriction, don't buy the product..............
Jaap
Like Jaap, I don't have a problem with the restriction during the initial contract period. I bought my XDA knowing it was locked to O2 for 12 months. That contract is now over. I want to unlock so that I can use a local SIM when I visit Germany - the roaming charges for GPRS are horrible. O2 will unlock it, but unlike the Dutch law, here in UK the provider (Carphone Warehouse) can charge, and they want £15 (O2 are even more expensive at £30). That I see as unfair, especially as I am in fact continuing with O2 for UK airtime.
Brad Adrian
10-17-2003, 01:29 PM
At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, I think it depends upon the customer's intent. If a person wants to unlock a device which was subsidized by the carrier just to change carriers, then keeping it locked is part of the contractual agreement and should be honored. If the desire is to gain some flexibility while still fulfilling the contract with the carrier, I don't think there's anything wrong with unlocking it.
I had an Sony Ericsson T68i phone that was locked by Cingular. They told me after a year they'd unlock it. After 18 months, I decided to take them up on that. Suddenly, they claimed they absolutely do not even have the capability to unlock phones! I had closed the Cingular account, though, and wanted to be able to use my T-Mobile SIM in the phone, so I called T-Mobile for help. They realized that helping me would only result in more revenue for them, so it was T-Mobile who sent me the unlock code for my Cingular phone.
Two companies, but only one with an accurate view of their customers' intentions.
T-Mobile are usually pretty good about unlocking phones. I used to use a T68i with their service and I wanted to use it in Europe without the high roaming charges.
I called their customer service and told them I wanted to be a able to unlock the phone so I could use a pre-paid SIM card. I got an unlock code by email the next day.
As for the other providers, ATTWS will not provide unlock codes as far as I know (obviously there are ways to do it anyway) and I have no experience at all with Cingular.
On the CDMA side it's different because of no SIM cards. In general you can have Verizon activate a phone on their network that came from another carrier, if you ask them nicely. Sprint are more rigid, they will only activate a phone with a Sprint serial number. That's annoyed a lot of people who wanted to use the Kyocera Smartphone on Sprint.
RobertoLV_
10-19-2003, 09:47 AM
I Used xda-developers Method. is Excelent!
ĦĦSalud!!-2
JvanEkris
10-19-2003, 02:09 PM
I Used xda-developers Method. is Excelent!
ĦĦSalud!!-2And it's illegal because you breach your contract......
Jaap
RobertoLV_
10-20-2003, 07:03 AM
I Used xda-developers Method. is Excelent!
ĦĦSalud!!-2And it's illegal because you breach your contract......
Jaap
mmmm but, what is the problem??, I don't think to change my service with other company, I only do that for use in other Country.
ĦĦSALUD!!-2
cyclist
10-20-2003, 06:54 PM
I Used xda-developers Method. is Excelent!
ĦĦSalud!!-2And it's illegal because you breach your contract......
Jaap
That depends on the contract. I signed a contract to use only O2 for 12 months to get the discount on the XDA. That contract is over; I now have a monthly conctract with O2 that does not have any exclusive rights.
JvanEkris
10-20-2003, 07:36 PM
As i understood the dutch contracts, it is a limitation in it's use. So even when the contract has ended, you still may not remove it by yourself. But, in the Netherlands, they are obliged to remove it for you, so there is a legal way (i'm not getting into the details of the ease of obtaining them). I don't know about other contracts though.....
Jaap
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