Phone unlocking

[Ray_Von]

My contract with T Mobile(EE) is up next March and I doubt very much that I will stay with them.O2 has a good signal for 4G where I live so I'm thinking of going with them.
My question is they want just over £20 to unlock my phone,do you guys have a company you can recommend who will do this for a lot less.I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and am quite happy to keep this phone.

[SpencerUk]

I unlocked my old Lumia 920 with http://www.fonefunshop.co.uk/ but my dads HTC 8X I paid £2.99 for an unlock code on eBay!..Don't networks now give you the unlock code too?

edit: @ash45 should be able to help on this somehow #mobilephonenut lol

[mirdragon]

EE like to charge their customers for the unlock code, there is major petition going on to get all providers to supply it for free as once contract is over the phone is physically yours to do with what you want.

[WillPS]

The last 4 phones I've had have all been unlocked. The first 2 were Vodafone handsets aimed at businesses (Windows Mobile 6 jobbys), the next was a BlackBerry 9300 which seemed to be a factory spec (and at the time I got it was only available due to a shortage of 8520s) and currently a BlackBerry 9790 which is fully branded but has no sim lock.

I thought SIM locks were a thing of the past tbh (except on low end PAYG phones).

[mirdragon]

Nope they still do it.especially if iphone

[alexatkin]

My Galaxy Note III from O2 arrived locked, which was a bit of a surprise as most people were reporting having received unlocked devices. However a quick call to their customer services and it was unlocked for free a week later.

I'm unlikely to switch from O2 though as I found its the most reliable signal in Sheffield and have a 4G mast a stones throw from my house so can get 50Mbit. The only problem is I only have 750MB data/month but then it seems all providers are bright tight with data allowances since 4G launched.

[mirdragon]

Im limited on providers as seem to live in a black hole. Even outdoors is bad with all providers

[Ray_Von]

After doing a bit of Googling I found this article

Quote:Three is the only major mobile operator that doesn't lock handsets to its network, meaning that customers can swap SIM cards in and out of their handset at their leisure. Giffgaff also offers unlocked handsets, but was not included in Ofcom's guide.
"We’re confident in our network and want to provide the best experience to those that purchase their device from us," said Danny Dixon, director of customer strategy at Three.
"We feel that this gives flexibility and choice in the hands of the customer, helps the environment, and it has been very well received by consumers across the board."
EE, (including Orange and T-Mobile), locks all of its handsets and does not allow them to be unlocked until 6 months after activation. The company then charges £20.42 for unlocking, which can take up to 10 days.
Vodafone also locks all of its handsets, and charges £19.99 to unlock them. However, pay-monthly customers who have held their contract for more than a year do not have to pay to get their phone unlocked.
O2 locks in all pay-as-you-go customers and most pay-monthly customers. However, it only charges pay-as-you-go customers for unlocking. These customers can pay £15 to get their phone unlocked after 12 months.
Tesco Mobile and Virgin Mobile also lock most of their handsets. Virgin charges £15.32 for unlocking, which can take up to 30 days, and Tesco Mobile charges £20 for phones that have been activated within the last 12 months, which can take up to 28 days.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mo...phone.html

[ash45]

@Ray_Von dont know if this will be any help to you but GSM dont usualy post crap

Ash

[SpencerUk]

I knew @ash45 would come through with something ...He always does haha!