Unlocked means the phone is not locked to any network. The phone can accept any sim card (except Video Networks). Usually phones come locked so they can only work on one network. For example if you have a phone locked to T-mobile but you want to insert a Vodafone sim card, this is not possible as the phone is "locked" to T-mobile but once it is unlocked it will then accept the Vodafone sim card.

Cell phones purchased from wireless carriers or with wireless service are locked to the particular carrier, meaning that you must use that carrier's service for placing and receiving calls. Since ours are unlocked, you are free to use any wireless carrier that uses GSM technology. Most carriers worldwide use this technology. In the U.S., AT&T/Cingular, T-Mobile, and many smaller carriers do (Verizon and Sprint/Nextel do not). See similar questions...

To find out whether your phone is unlocked, insert a SIM card from a different network into your phone. If it operates normally, it is unlocked. If not, you can ask your operator for an 'unlock code' which it is obliged to give you, though conditions and charges may apply. Alternatively you can unlock it yourself by taking your phone to an independent phone shop or by trying one of the independent unlocking websites. See similar questions...

If you have a Nokia or selected other phones, then The Travel Insider can unlock it for you remotely. Go to The Travel Insider GSM unlock page, fill out the form, pay the $5 fee, and they'll send you back your phone's unlock code and complete instructions on how to unlock it. If you have a Motorola, Siemens, or Sony Ericsson phones, plus the Treo 600 phone/PDA then the can probably unlock that phone too, but you'll need to send the phone to us for unlocking. See similar questions...

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, then your phone is already unlocked. See similar questions...

Unlocked is a term used mainly when referring to GSM (sim card based) Phones and it means that the phone can be used with any compatible sim card used by many wireless carriers. See similar questions...

Many of the GSM phones we offer are 'unlocked' which gives you a great degree of flexibility in the use of these phones. An unlocked GSM phone allows your phone to work with any service providers that support the same GSM technologies (e.g., AT&T Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile, etc). A GSM phone 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. See similar questions...

Check this website to see if the country you are interested in has GSM service, and, if it does, what frequency the GSM service(s) operate on. See similar questions...

Maybe. Your current wireless provider will still charge you exactly the same as before for all your calls. But because your phone is now unlocked, you can use a different SIM from a different provider whenever this might give you better rates - for example, when traveling overseas. See similar questions...

I've unlocked my phone, but when I turn it on, it still shows the name of the previous wireless service. See similar questions...

Sim-Free means the Mobile Phone does not come with a sim card. You either must have your own sim card to place in the phone or you need to buy a pay as you go sim card of your choice (T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone or O2) to insert in the handset. See similar questions...

If you see a flashing envelope on the screen of your mobile phone, this means that the memory on your mobile phone is full and you will need to delete some messages in order to receive more. See similar questions...

A SIM Free mobile phone means you get the phone without the line (or the GSM chip / SIM, that goes with it). It also means that the phone is not locked to any particular network so any sim card will work with your phone. You need to check the frequency of your network is available on the phone you want to buy. See similar questions...

We cannot unlock a mobile phone that has been locked due to being stolen or lost, has been unlocked before. Therefore if you cannot verify the history of the mobile phone then we cannot guarantee that our service will work. A refund may require you to send your phone to us for status verification. Please note that it is illegal to change a mobile phones IMEI code so don't ask. See similar questions...

If you can't see your player listed it just means we haven't added it to our database yet. Don't worry though, just use the contact us link at the top of the page and drop us a quick message. Our team of experts will see if we can source your unlock codes for you and email you back to advise you further. See similar questions...

A mobile phone, which is a sophisticated two-way radio, works by connecting to a base station over a low power radio link whenever a call is made or received. See similar questions...

Yes, your existing service will work perfectly with no change, as long as you leave your present SIM in your phone. See similar questions...