Unlocked cell phones are a relatively rare occurrence in the United States, especially since most commercially available phones are purchased through service providers and are therefore already locked. What it means to lock a cell phone is simply binding that particular handset to a service provider – for example AT&T or Verizon – allowing it to work only on their cellular network by programming the SIM card to be compatible only with the desired network.

The phone cannot use a network from another company, and is therefore locked to a service provider. Unlocked cell phones are those phones whose bonds to a specific carrier have been cut and can make use of whatever network is available, at the discretion of its user. This makes things affirmatively easy when it comes down to traveling or perhaps going back to the country for those who go back of course.

Most cell phones are locked because they are purchased directly through a service provider’s retail outlet, often in addition to whichever service plan or contract is chosen by the user. The entire purpose of locking a cell phone is almost strictly business – limiting the use of certain, popular models of cell phones to a particular carrier’s network, the practice of which varies wildly between service providers and hardware developers depending on a myriad of complicated and esoteric business agreements. One primary factor in inhibiting unlocked cell phones though is geographic location. Most countries have their own laws regarding the legality and practice of locked and unlocked cell phones.

In Finland, for example, it is simply illegal for service providers to sell SIM-locked GSM phones. Only unlocked cell phones are legal to sell, with the closely monitored exception of 3G phones sold with tie-in contracts (as familiar to US residents) which was allowed by the Finish government for a time ending in 2009. In Hong Kong, it is again illegal to SIM lock a cell phone for the purpose of coercing users into using a particular cellular network, however SIM locks are permitted in cases where contract costs are used to subsidize the cost of the actual handset (another practice common in the US). Both Israel and Singapore outright forbid SIM locked cell phones for an purpose, meaning that all handsets in those countries are unlocked cell phones.

The laws regarding unlocked cell phones and SIM locking in the United Kingdom are, like in the United States, somewhat more nefarious in that there are no laws. SIM locking is issued at the discretion of service providers, who more often than not, are unwilling to lose customers and are too willing to use SIM locking to almost literally bind their users to their network services. Even after the expiration of tie-in plans where monthly contract fees are used to subsidize the cost of the actual phone, companies are not obligated to unlock any of their customer’s phones. Even if they do agree to do so, it is often only after the expiration of the contract, and even then only at a fee.

If you are searching for more information about internet marketing, please make sure to check out the web page that is mentioned right in this passage.