Traveling and the advantages of unlocked phones

In the United States many of us don’t realize the implications of having an unlocked phone and its advantages. Two of the largest mobile phone service providers, use CDMA technology (Verizon & Sprint), meaning they don’t need SIM cards to utilize the networks and its respective data.

However almost everywhere, globally, most network providers use SIM cards (GSM Service) that you insert into your phone to register the phone on the network. Without a SIM card, you won’t receive a signal.

Having an “unlocked” phone means your phone is not SIM locked to any specific carrier. You can use any carrier you wish just by simply inserting the SIM card into the phone. In the USA most of our GSM service providers lock the handset to their network. This means you can only use your phone with that particular network. This can be especially true with iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones.

If you travel abroad like many of us do, having a “locked” phone puts you at a disadvantage if you wish to use your mobile phone. The high cost of roaming makes our mobile devices very expensive to use abroad. If you arrive in another country, you can always purchase a local prepaid SIM card which will provide you far cheaper mobile/data services while visiting that country.

The only way to use a local SIM card is with an unlocked device. SIM-Free phones allow you to insert any type of SIM card into your phone and use the local services, without buying an expensive new handset to use only while traveling.

All of your contacts, data and messages will remain intact, regardless of the SIM card you use.

Another advantage of unlocking your phone, is the increased resale value when you decide to upgrade phones. Most savvy buyers on eBay and Amazon will insist on buying unlocked handsets.

Here at One Hour Device Repair, we can unlock many of the popular handsets. Give us a call and let’s see if we can help you.