Late last month, I decided to do some research into mobile phone carriers’ handset unlocking policies. I did this because I keep hearing from Operation Gadget readers who are frustrated by their inability to take their phones with them when they switch carriers. In many cases, it’s because their handsets have been electronically locked by the carrier that subsidized the phone’s purchase.
I am not a customer of Cingular Wireless, so I could not simply phone customer service and ask if they would unlock my handset. What I did instead was to visit the Cingular Company Store at 72 Princeton-Hightstown Road in East Windsor, NJ.
I asked a knowledgeable Retail Sales Consultant if I could buy a GSM phone which could be used on another company’s network when I am travelling for business in Switzerland. He knew why I would want to do this:
- so I could use a pay-as-you-go SIM chip, and
- so I could get a local phone number in the country while I am staying there.
The Retail Sales Consultant from Cingular told me that the “world phone” models (multi-band GSM handsets) that they sell in the store are all unlocked. Therefore, I could purchase a phone there and leave on my trip immediately– presumably before it is even activated. Of course, Cingular would not sell me a phone unless I signed a contract with them that locks me into a billing plan for two years. But if I bought a phone from them, I’d be planning to stay with them for mobile phone service in the USA.
The world phone models that were recommended to me by the Cingular consultant were:
- Nokia 3100,
- Nokia 3200,
- Nokia 6200,
- Sony Ericsson T616,
- Motorola V400, or
- Motorola V600
I believe that they had all of these phones in stock at the store at that time.
As I said in my previous articles about AT&T Wireless’ Handset Unlocking Policy and T-Mobile USA’s Handset Unlocking Policy, I’m not saying that handset unlocking policies should be the only factor in choosing a wireless carrier. But, they are a very good indication of how customer-friendly a carrier is.
Cingular has good service in my area, and they are busily upgrading their network to better support GSM. I appreciated the openness of the staff at the Cingular Company Store in discussing their company’s policy with a potential customer.
I do not know if Cingular ever locked multi-band GSM phones. If they did, I hope that an existing customer with one of these phones will explain how Cingular deals with unlocking them. If you have this information, send it to me at tips@operationgadget.com.