Confusion Dispelled

I just received an email from a potential customer (I'll call her Ann for the sake of this post) and this particular email echoes the thoughts of many people. The email went a little something like this - 'I want to use my O2 Sim card in my Vodafone Nokia 6230i, however when I put my O2 Sim card in the phone I get a Phone Restricted message. I searched online and found your web site. I would like to purchase unlock codes for my phone, however I'm a little concerned that I will be breaking the law if I unlock my phone, can you please clarify the situation?'

Ann is not alone, there is still a lot of confusion surrounding the subject of mobile phone unlocking, and many people believe that it is illegal. As an unlocker, I face a constant battle to convince people that unlocking a mobile phone is not illegal. However, there are certain things you need to take into consideration before deciding to unlock your mobile phone:

1. Does the phone actually belong to you? This may sound like a stupid question, but if you obtained your mobile phone on contract, the phone remains the property of the network until you have completed the said contract (usually 12 months). It may be worth while reading through your contract to see if unlocking is prohibited while under contract.
2. Will unlocking affect your warranty? Unlocking your mobile phone may void your warranty. Removing the network restriction could be construed as a modification to the original design of the phone, thus voiding your warranty.

Ann wanted to know if she would be breaking the law by unlocking her phone - the simple answer is no, Ann would not be breaking the law, nor would unlocks.co.uk be breaking the law for supplying Ann with the codes to unlock her phone.

So why do people automatically think unlocking is illegal? It's simply a matter of confusion between unlocking and unblocking. Unlocking is a legal procedure whereby the network restriction is removed via cable or with codes. Removal of this restriction allows for the use of alternative network Sim cards. Unblocking on the other hand is a procedure which is extremely illegal. For legal reasons I will not go into too much detail, however phones that have been reported lost, stolen or otherwise unsuitable for use are blacklisted. Unblocking effectively changes the phones identity so that it will no longer be blacklisted. Unlocks.co.uk would like to make it very clear that we have never and will never accept requests for phone unblocking!

I replied to Ann with the above information and within the hour she had ordered codes for her phone. She also sent me a small email saying that the codes worked fine and thanks for the help.

In summary, unlocking your mobile phone is not illegal, however it may be prohibited in your contract and you may void your warranty.