Whether you’re buying a new cell phone from a vendor who is not your service provider or want to change service providers while keeping your current phone, one major obstacle that cellphone users run into is the “locked” cell phone. A locked cell phone is one that is programmed to only work with one specific carrier. If you buy a cell phone that is programmed for a different service provider or choose to switch your provider, your cell phone may quickly becomes useless.
That is, of course, unless you have it unlocked. Unlocking your cell phone makes it available for use to other providers, allowing you flexibility in the phone you buy or use.
There are two major types of cell phone carriers. The first is Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), with companies such as AT&T and T-Mobile. The second is Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), with such companies as Verizon, Sprint, and Cricket. It is important to know which type of carrier your service provider is as GSMs and CDMAs have different locking technology. You cannot generally use a GSM phone on a CDMA carrier or vice versa.
For CDMA phones, the unlocking process is done through flashing. Flashing is the process of loading carrier-specific files to your phone so that it can communicate with the new carrier. Flashing allows a phone that is currently locked to one CDMA provider to be reprogrammed for use on another CDMA provider.
GSM phones are different from CDMA phones due to the fact that they have a SIM card. Because SIM cards cannot be flashed, it is necessary to unlock a GSM phone through a different method. For GSM phones, you need to switch out your old GSM SIM card for a SIM card that is supplied by your new GSM service provider. You then need either a specific numeric code or, in some cases, hook your phone to a special device that unlocks the data port. These steps can easily be done by your local cell phone store.
