How to Unlock Cell Phones, and a Review of Cell Phone Unlocking Companies

Cell phones have become an integral part of people's lives. It seems that everyone has a cell phone these days, and the traditional home phone is on its last leg.

There are so many different phones to choose from. So how do you know which phone is right for you? It really depends on what functionalities you want and/or need in a cell phone for both personal and business use. Do you just want to talk? Do you text frequently? Listen to music? Surf the Internet? Do you need mobile email access? These are all things to consider when purchasing a phone.

Your friend just purchased a new phone that you really like but they have AT&T and you have T-Mobile. You heard that you can unlock cell phones so you can use a T-Mobile phone on the AT&T network and vice versa. Is This true?

The answer is yes!


Cell phones that operate on GSM technology have the ability to be unlocked and have carrier restrictions removed.

Currently in the U.S. AT&T and T-Mobile are the only carriers capable of cell phone unlocking because they support GSM technology.

Some Verizon and Sprint phones, which run on the CDMA network, will work with AT&T and T-mobile. Sprint, Verizon, & other CDMA carrier phones that are listed as "World Phones" will usually work on the GSM network as they are guaranteed to work anywhere in the world. These phones have the ability to use a SIM card and are designed to work on both GSM & CDMA networks, as well as other network types found throughout the world. An example of a phone for Verizon that is compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile is the Blackberry Storm. An example of a phone from Sprint that works on AT&T & T-Mobile is the Blackberry Tour.

Check the specifications of the phone you would like to use to see if it is capable of running the GSM band.

Unfortunately phones for AT&T and T-Mobile are not compatible on the Sprint and Verizon network.

Also, Sprint and Verizon phones are not compatible with each other , even though they both use the CDMA technology.

Now that you've determined whether your phone can be unlocked or not, where do you go to unlock cell phones? I've unlocked 100's of cell phones and have used many different unlocking companies.

Below is a review of the top 4 cell phone unlocking companies in my opinion on the web. All have advantages and disadvantages which I will list. Which company you use for cell phone unlocking is based on what your needs are.

www.unlocking.com

I've used this site to unlock many cell phones. This site is the fastest I have found for cell phone unlocking. They are able to do obscure phones that other companies do not. Their pricing is competitive with other sites. The only drawback I have found with this site is that if you do have a problem they are very slow to respond. I had problems roughly 2 out of 10 times that I unlocked a phone with them. If you are concerned about speed of unlocking this is the best site.

www.globalunlock.com

I've used this site a few times when I needed to unlock cell phones that were purchased in other countries. This site is a little more expensive than other sites, and the service is a little slower but the good thing about this site is that they have cell phone unlocking codes for every phone in the world that can be unlocked. They also have variations for a particular model phone in different countries. For example they have the Mexican, USA, UK, versions of Blackberry Bold 9000. If you are looking for a cell phone unlock code for a phone from any country then this is the best site.

www.unlocktotalk.com

A friend of mine recommended this site to me. The great thing about this site is they have over 100 franchise locations located throughout the U.S. They have competitive pricing for Blackberries and lower prices for the lesser popular phones. The service is fairly quick but not as quick as other sites. If you would like someone to help you face to face or want to pay less for some phones than this is the best site for you.

www.thephoneunlockers.com

This site offers very quick cell phone unlocking codes. For some phones such as G1 they are the fastest on the web. They offer exceptional customer service as I found out when I accidently entered the wrong IMEI number. They quickly resolved the problem I had with my cell phone unlock code. They are a little more expensive than other sites but if you believe that exceptional customer service is worth paying a little extra then this site is for you. They also offer discounts for repeat buyers.

How to unlock a phone varies from phone to phone. All of the sites listed above have extensive information on the process for unlocking a specific phone.

You now have all the information you need to unlock cell phones based on your personal needs.