What is a SIM and what is unlocking?

Ordinary cell phone service works so that the unique serial number in your phone (its ESN) is used by the cell phone service provider to identify who you are.  The wireless service knows that a particular phones serial number is your phone and knows to send phone calls to that phone when someone dials your phone number.

A GSM phone is not directly linked to you.  Instead, it has a removable account card, called a SIM (subscriber information module) and this SIM has a unique serial number on it.  This is what identifies you to the wireless provider.

The important difference about this is that you can put your SIM into any compatible phone (and pretty much all modern GSM phones are compatible with all modern SIMs) and that phone will now act as your phone, because the wireless company sees your SIM inside it.  It does not care that you have changed phones, all it cares is where to find your SIM.

And now for the really exciting part of this.  Just as, in theory, you can put any SIM in any phone, the opposite is also true.  Any phone can work with any SIM.  So, if you have already bought an expensive phone that you like and have learned how to use, if you change from one GSM wireless company to another one, you don nott have to change phones.  You can keep the phone you have grown to like, and all you need to do is replace the first service provider SIM with your new service provider SIM.

But, some wireless providers (lock) their phones, meaning that their phones have been programmed to only work with SIMs issued by their company.  Reversing that programming - unlocking your phone so it can work with any SIM - is what this is all about.

 What is GSM?  Is it different than normal cell phone service?  How do I know if I have GSM or not?

GSM is a type of digital mobile phone service.  The more common type of digital mobile phone service in the US is CDMA, but just about every other country in the world uses primarily or only GSM.

For you as the user of your phone, there is no difference at all between using a phone on a CDMA system or a phone on a GSM system.  Unfortunately, the two different systems are not compatible with each other.

If you have a T-Mobile, Cingular, or recent new M-mode type service with AT&T, then you have GSM service.

 Will my existing cell phone service provider know if I unlock my mobile phone ?

We are not sure about this.  Certainly, if they physically have your phone, they can get it to display its current lock status, but when you have the phone, we are not sure.  It might be possible, in theory, for them to interrogate the phone through the cell service control signals, and get the phone to advise of its status, but we have never heard of this being done.

And, in any case, read the next two questions/answers for further reassurance on this topic.

 Will my existing service provider care if I unlock my phone ?

Probably not!  That is one of the ridiculous things about unlocking which makes the whole thing so unnecessary.

You have already signed a one or two year contract with your cell phone service provider, you are committed to spending a monthly minimum amount with them every month, whether you ever turn your phone on or not!  Indeed, in a way, it is probably good for them if you never use the free minutes included in your plan - that way, their monthly fee becomes pure profit!

So, why should they care if your phone is locked or unlocked?  Apart from hoping you will use more than your free minutes, it is all the same to them, one way or the other.

 Is it legal to unlock my phone ? 

It is your phone,?  Then surely it is as legal that you unlock your phone as it is that you give it away, lose it, break it, leave it turned off, or do just about anything else with it! unlocking is 100% legal in canada and north america

Unless your phone service contract says this phone remains the property of us (the service provider) and you agree not to modify or alter it in any way then there would seem to be no reason why you can not legally do anything you like with your phone, just so long as you are not attempting to defraud anyone.

It is illegal, in some countries, to change the phone IMEI (serial number) - this is a type of what is called cloning and, particularly with non-GSM phones, could enable you to then pretend to be someone else and have your airtime charged to someone else account.

We don not provide any cloning type service and don not approve of people that do.  But we do help you simply unlock a phone that belongs to you so you have freedom of choice as to which service provider you use it with.

 How do I know if my phone is already unlocked or not ? 

Easy.  Borrow a SIM from a friend who has an account with a different wireless service provider and see if it works in your phone or not.  If it works, and your phone thinks it is his (or her) phone with that phone number, then your phone is already unlocked.

But if it creates some sort of error message and does not work, then your phone is locked.

 How do I know that my phone has been successfully unlocked ?

replace an active sim card if no message comes such us invalid sim card, code error, contact service provider, after that try to complet the call

 I have unlocked my phone, but when I turn it on, it still shows the name of the previous wireless service ?

This logo (called a splash screen) has been programmed into your phone by the company that sold it to you.  It does not mean anything about which company now provides you phone service.

Unlocking your phone removes the electronic restriction that prevents your phone from working with other SIMs from other wireless services.  It doe not change your splash screen.

The good news is you can get rid of the splash screen without needing to unlock your phone.  See if you can find in your phone manual how to change the splash screen, or consider calling the phone manufacturer and have them walk you through it.

 Will I have to unlock my phone every time I change SIMs?

No.  Once your phone is unlocked, it remains permanently unlocked, no matter what you do to it, unless you specially program back the lock code into it.

 How to unlock blackberry by code?

We will provide you the unlock code,  blackberry storm and tourunlocking is little different, all other blackberry unlocking, Go to option  then advanced option, select sim card hold the alt key and while holding the alt key type in mep2 or mepp2 then message will come up to enter the unlock code