How to Unlock GSM Phones

There are two reasons to unlock a phone. First, it gives you
the freedom to switch between service providers. Assuming
a long-term service contract doesn't stand in your way (along
with the contract termination fees that come along with it),
you can change service providers as often as you like and
never have to buy a new phone. Just put in a new SIM card
supplied by your new service provider and your old phone will
work just fine. You will have to go through the effort of
migrating your old phone number to the new account, however.

The other reason involves traveling to Europe or Asia. If you
use your North American phone while traveling, you will rack
up enormous roaming fees. International cell phone companies
don't all rely on the two-year contract business model
favored in the United States. You can buy a SIM card for your
phone that's pre-loaded with a fixed number of minutes that
will work in whatever country you'll be spending time in.
Some European companies even offer SIM cards whose accounts
work across much of the continent, not just in one country.
Frequent travelers or even those taking occasional vacations
will enjoy significant savings with an unlocked phone.

The process of unlocking a phone is actually quite simple,
and doesn't require any technical knowledge. For some phones,
you just have to enter a numeric code into the phone. For
a fee, some service providers will even give you the proper
unlock code for your phone. There are also third party
companies that provide cell phone unlock codes for a fee that
ranges from $5 to about $25, depending on the model of phone
you have.

Some phones need to be connected to a special device through
the phone's data port to be unlocked. Again, a few service
providers offer this service, but most phone owners will have
to turn to third parties to accomplish this. You pay them
a fee, send them your phone, they unlock it and send it back.