Crisis Averted!

Looking to unlock your SIMlocked phone? The solution might be easier than you think.

The Problem with SIMlock

Many United States GSM mobile phone carriers sell their phones locked out of the competition's networks. What this means is a phone purchased from one carrier will typically only work on that carrier's network. More precisely, a phone purchased from one carrier will typically only work with a SIM card specific to that carrier's network - another carrier's SIM card is useless. This is called network lock, also known as SIMlock.

For the average mobile customer, the assumption is, switching carriers means forking over hard-earned cash for the latest phone du jour, or possibly settling for a utilitarian 'free' phone. Either way, the current phone doesn't work with the new carrier, and it gets chucked. A small percentage of the population either doesn't take well to getting stiffed like this, or would simply like to do with their own property as they please. For these few and proud, there is the coveted unlock code, the hidden key to unlocking SIMlocked mobile phones.

SIMlocksmith

I am recently in the market to switch carriers. And while I'm not entirely opposed to buying a a new phone, I would much rather just keep the one I have. It does everything I need, and I've never had any problems with it. I spoke with a sales rep at one of my future carrier's retail stores who recommended the best way to unlock a phone is to 'just search for a code on Yahoo!' Hmm... really?

I spent several hours this weekend poring over dozens of websites in search of the key to unlocking my mobile phone. Posts abound on forums far and wide inquiring as to how exactly to unlock your mobile phone. Replies pose various solutions ranging from the short and sweet to the truly absurd. Some say unlocking your phone requires knowledge of secret voodoo key sequences only available to those fortunate to know someone 'on the inside.' Others debunk this myth recommending you must divulge precious credit card information to unseemly websites in order to purchase the 'one true guaranteed solution' which requires specific computer software (Windows only, of course) and an obscure, back-ordered(!) data cable to magically generate unlock codes. Amongst all the chatter there doesn't seem to be any definitive sources of reliable information on the subject of unlocking mobile phones for use on other networks.

I began thinking, when you were a kid and you wanted something, what was the easiest way to get it? After a moment I thought, just flat out ask for it and see what happens. Unless you were after a McLaren F1, chances are good you got what you asked for. If you didn't get what you wanted right away, persistence almost always paid off to some degree.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Feeling optimistic, I dialed customer service and uttered the magic words, "I would like the unlock code for my phone please." The customer service rep on the other end of the line seemed to take the bait replying, "Certainly. Just a moment while I process the request." Holy crap, that was easy! Twenty four hours later an unlock code landed in my inbox, free of charge, with simple and easy to follow instructions on how to use it to bust the SIMlock wide open. I tapped out the simple code on my phone's keypad and my phone declared, "Network unlocked!" Removing the SIMlock on my phone really couldn't have been any easier. Note: If your eyes just now lit up, and you feel the urge to ask for my unlock code, well, sorry. Unlock codes are tied to each individual phone and will not work for any other phone.

Is this truly a bulletproof solution? Not exactly. What if my current carrier had been immune to the Jedi Mind Trick? I didn't have a backup plan beyond becoming a sucker and forking over some hard-earned cash for my new carrier's phone du jour. But what did I stand to lose by simply asking? In this case, that's all I had to do.