Unlocking Mobile Phone.

[derekpara]

I want to use a new 'Pay Monthly' 3Mobile SIM card in my phone to replace my expensive pay-as-you-go one with T Mobile. As I haven't been with them for 6 months they want me to wait the remaining four months then pay an unlocking fee of £25.

What is the best way to circumvent this expensive delay ? If I take the phone to an 'unlocking' shop would they be able to do it immediately ? What's the procedure or is it easy to do it another way myself ?

Cheers.

D

[Old_Geezer]

Depends. You can try. A couple of years back I finally managed to get a smart phone unlocked, I'd had to wait about 9 months until the unlocking industry had worked out what the hash codes were, that they needed. But they may already know how to unlock your model. If they don't then I would have thought, pay enough to T-Mobile to over the subsidy back on the phone handset and I'd have thought they'd agree.

[ivor4781]

take it to one of those Asian stalls you see on the markets that have a mobile stand there all wizz kids and unlocking is no problem to them and not expensive either

[derekpara]

Thanks to you both. By the way, OG I own the phone outright so it is not on contract.

Ivor, Would they unlock it while I wait or is there a few days' delay ?

Cheers.

D

[ummmm]

I asked at one of the stalls and they said they couldn't unlock mine. I don't know if it's actually locked but thought I would ask because I was passing.

[Old_Geezer]

Given you own the phone, if it wasn't supplied to you by the service provider as part of a deal, then it ought not be locked. (Did you buy it second hand from someone who was on a contract ?) Since it is locked I suspect T-Mobile want a set amount of use of their service from it to cover what they put in to keep the price low. Contract or no contract.

Best of luck at the shop/stall though. How to unlock it will either be known now, or not.

[ivor4781]

i got mine unlocked while i waited

[jomifl]

Owning the phone doesn't mean that it is unlocked as you can buy PAYG phones cheaply because they are locked to a network. I got one of these unlocked by phoning the network and paying about £15 for the unlock code.

[derekpara]

OG. I bought the phone new and your assumption re Tmobile is correct. They say the number must be connected to them for six months as per the 'contract' (which I did not sign!) before they will provide an unlocking key for about £25.

I've only been with them for two months but have bought a 3Mobile SIM I want to use at £10 per month annual contract. A lot cheaper for me.

Plent on Youtube on how to get the unlocking key online for a smaller fee.

Thanks again to you all.