An unlocked cell phone is a cellular
telephone handset that can be used with more than one service provider, making it easy for a
user to switch from one cellular network to
another.
The sequence of steps a user must perform in order to unlock a cell phone depends on the
original communications service provider and on the manufacturer of the phone set. Some cell phone
sets can be unlocked by inputting codes to modify the software in the
unit. Other sets require the purchase of special cables or modification of the internal hardware
as well as reprogramming of the phone's data settings. In the wake of the U.S. Copyright Office's
decision in November 2006 to allow cell-phone unlocking for at least three years thereafter,
numerous companies began to offer unlocking services for a fee.
Proponents of cell-phone unlocking argue that consumers should be free to change their network
when a subscription contract expires without having to discard hardware they purchased outright.
Some cell-phone service providers, unhappy with the Copyright Office's decision, are resisting the
practice by making their cell-phone sets difficult or impossible to unlock.
This was last updated in March 2007
Email Alerts
Register now to receive SearchMobileComputing.com-related news, tips and more, delivered to your inbox.
By submitting you agree to receive email from TechTarget and its partners. If you reside outside of the United States, you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States.
Privacy
More News and Tutorials
-
Distributed antenna systems and in-building wireless solutions are two options to improve wireless cellular coverage within an enterprise facility.
-
Femtocells are all the rage, and these tiny cellular radios promise to improve in-building cellular coverage and are primarily targeted at the home-user. However, some vendors are now building enterprise femtocell solutions. Should you consider femtocell deployment in order to improve your cellular coverage? This article identifies the key questions you should ask before you buy a femtocell solution.
-
Dual-mode fixed mobile convergence (FMC) solutions promise to reduce voice communication costs and improve employee productivity. But enterprises have yet to deploy them widely. This article analyzes the potential benefits of dual-mode FMC solutions.
-
Articles
-
Resources from around the Web