Posted by fluke9
I have just been asked by a mate if PAYG phones are unlocked ???
I remember reading something on here about it being illegal to lock phones to a provider, a mate has seen a good deal on a T Mobile N79 (Online) and wants to know if it would be unlocked the seller has no idea, the phone is new and unused in a sealed box.
Posted by jcwhite_uk
It is not illegal to lock phones to a network. According to european law it is a legal requirement that a network can provide an unlock code for your phone which they may charge for. most PAYG phones are locked.
Posted by fluke9
Thanks for that, I just phoned Tmobile £15 and 28 days
Can these be unlocked by a local shop/market bloke in a couple of minutes ???
Or online somehow ??
Posted by Aware
...it's supposed to be illegal to PERMANENTLY lock a phone to a single provider(i.e: O2/iPhoney)...however, I've never seen anyone take a network to court over an unlock code, they seem to settle to not bother in the end......
I'd expect a T-Mobile phone to come locked, rather than unlocked btw, they're tight like that(like Orange) - sorry!
EDIT: T-Mob unlocks on Ebay: Here
Seems to be a half-decent choice for you......
HTH
[ This Message was edited by: Aware on 2009-06-12 10:27 ]
Posted by JD4341
Vodafone contract phones now sold unlocked from new
Posted by jcwhite_uk
On 2009-06-12 13:56:11, JD4341 wrote:
Vodafone contract phones now sold unlocked from new
Not all of them. Blackberries are still locked.
Posted by fatreg
On 2009-06-12 14:13:01, jcwhite_uk wrote:
Not all of them. Blackberries are still locked.
How can you lock a fruit?
Plural of BlackBerry is BlackBerry Smartphones!
Posted by Nanu
On 2009-06-12 14:29:41, fatreg wrote:
On 2009-06-12 14:13:01, jcwhite_uk wrote:
Not all of them. Blackberries are still locked.
How can you lock a fruit?
Plural of BlackBerry is BlackBerry Smartphones!
Who told you that?
Posted by carkitter
There are no locked phones in NZ, even the iPhone is unlocked.
Isn't locking illegal in Belgium and certain other EU countries?
If I had any blackberries, I'd keep them under lock and key! Yumm...
[ This Message was edited by: carkitter on 2009-06-12 22:20 ]
Posted by Bonovox
Just buy a pay as you go phone from Carphone they are all unlocked unless you buy it on 3UK network
Posted by fluke9
Does not help when it an N79.
Cheaper else where but I think its sorted now.
Posted by samab
On 2009-06-12 11:12:21, jcwhite_uk wrote:
It is not illegal to lock phones to a network. According to european law it is a legal requirement that a network can provide an unlock code for your phone which they may charge for. most PAYG phones are locked.
That is no longer true.
The EC adopted the "customer awareness" doctrine many years ago. The carriers basically can do whatever they want --- as long as they tell you clearly before hand. Ofcom adopted this EC doctrine. 3 UK can crazyglued the sim card into their PAYG phones --- as long as they tell you that this phone is permanently locked to 3 UK before you purchased the phone. O2 can sell you a permanently simlocked iphone and Vodafone can sell you a simlocked blackberry --- as long as they tell you before hand that they will never ever ever ever give you the unlocking code.
A few European countries went further than what the EC said --- like making regulations on how long the simlock can last. But as we have seen the iphone's launch in Europe, Apple made a mockery of these regulations (i.e. by selling the 1000 euro iphone).