Enjoy the benefits of an unlocked cell phone.
When you purchase a mobile phone from a service provider, most of the time, the phone is locked to that company. This means that you can use the phone only with that carrier. If you are unsatisfied with your service provider and you want to use another company, you have to purchase a new phone, unless you unlock it. Not all cell phones can be unlocked, however.
Unhappy With Service Provider
If you're unhappy with the plan and cost of your current service provider, you can cancel its service and still use your phone. Unlocking it will allow you to use pre-paid SIM cards, or a SIM card from another company. You get to keep the phone you like while using a carrier you prefer. This doesn't work on all phones, because some phones use CDMA technology, as opposed to GSM technology, which means there isn't a removable SIM card in the phone. Check with your service provider to see which type of phone you have.
Traveling Abroad
When traveling abroad, you can rack up piles of long distance and roaming charges. If you unlock your phone however, you'll be able to replace your SIM card with a foreign SIM card, enabling you to turn "long distance" calls into local calls, since you'll be temporarily using a local carrier.
Better Resale Value
When you want to sell your phone, the person purchasing it would prefer to use the service provider of her choice. If your phone is locked to a single service provider, the odds of it getting sold decrease. Potential buyers will be much more apt to purchase a cell phone that's ready to use the minute they buy it. According to Ustaymobile.com, an unlocked phone is up to 300 percent more valuable than a locked one.
Tags: service provider, your phone, your service provider, another company, long distance, phone locked