Another words,

If its unlocked then you can use any carrier SIM card in the phone.


If the phone is locked then its only compatible to the carrier that locked it. Like ATT, T-Mobile, Verizon, Etc.

Originally Posted by jihad666

So it's as simple as buying a phone, like one on ebay (tinyurl.com/565dvu), popping in my sim card and that's it?




Can you explain the whole 'unlocked code' thing for me?

most of GSM/UMTS phones come from carrier are SIM locked (you can't use foreign SIM), that's why unlock means
this is goodness of GSM/UMTS, as long as it's SIM unlocked and band supported, just put SIM in and it's ready

Originally Posted by greenblood

grab a phone, and pay full price (no contract renewal required)

So it's as simple as buying a phone, like one on ebay (tinyurl.com/565dvu), popping in my sim card and that's it?

Originally Posted by greenblood

if you never requested unlocked code, do it with the phone, that you can take it to att

Can you explain the whole 'unlocked code' thing for me?

just buy a cheap unlocked phone or one locked to your service provider

grab a phone, and pay full price (no contract renewal required)
if you never requested unlocked code, do it with the phone, that you can take it to att

Hopefully this is a simple question.

The display on my Nokia 6133 died a week ago and I've been limping along. My T-Mobile contract doesn't end until October and I've been thinking about jumping ship to AT&T. I need to replace my phone with something cheap until my contract ends. If I go through T-Mobile they're going to extend my contract another year. How do I go about getting a new phone? Is there a FAQ to explain what locked/unlocked SIMs mean?

Thanks and sorry in advance for the noobness.