Are the cell phones network locked?

[swordfish1]

Hi everyone,

Are the cell phones on contract network locked (MTN)?

Can one use them on any network and any country for that matter (with different SIM - not roaming)?

Anyone has any objections for the SE K810i?

All I need is:
- long battery life
- SMS memory which lasts 2 years (10-20 sms per week) without deleting msgs
- Good and reliable web browsing - if it can open my site without running out of memory it qualifies!
- have the current time on the screen

thanks!

 

[JimM]

No new contract cellphone is network locked in the RSA. ICASA stopped the networks doing this dirty trick.

Most pre-paid handsets are also not network locked unless the network can show that they heavily subsidized the handset. This usually only applies to the low, low end of the cellular range! Circa the R229 with SIM deals!

Although not network locked most handsets are heavily branded... I don't mind the red of Vodafone or the Blue of Vodacom but the yellow logos of MTN on the display are yukk!

I've got a K800i and its still my best handset! It's way over a year old and has had a real bashing but still works and almost looks like new!

 

[swordfish1]

Thanks JimM! This is good to know!

I am not too sure about the branding, but whatever they branded I can remove, I hope.

I am sure the K810i is a good phone - I had SE in the past and was overall happy with it, but the last upgrade I did a mistake to go for a mid-range nokia - and nokia only the top models are any good, the rest is ... ah well, crashes, can't reliably connect to internet, sms memory runs out every time I go shopping (CC sms), and I don't shop that much!

cheers!

 

[JimM]

Just had a K810i in for repair... Dropped into the sea! Not going to work ever again methinks! It would have probably been OK had the user not spent all day Sunday blowing it with a hair dryer!!

Branding usually only shows on the start up and shut down screens although Vodafone do lock the right hand key to VLive which can be a bit annoying!

 

[!!DV!!]

Quite right, no phones are loacked any more, the one way to get around the custom software is to have the software reloaded, with the factory version. The trick is to find someone that is willing to do that.

 

[semiautomatix]

Just had a K810i in for repair... Dropped into the sea! Not going to work ever again methinks! It would have probably been OK had the user not spent all day Sunday blowing it with a hair dryer!!

Branding usually only shows on the start up and shut down screens although Vodafone do lock the right hand key to VLive which can be a bit annoying!

Bad news: I lost my K800i that way... They look at the indicator strip, tell you its water damage and return it without looking further. Sorry, you're not going to be in for a happy ending.