Network Locked phones

Captain Beer

Captain Beer

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Why do some networks still lock phones?

Have had 2 MTN phones that worked on any network.

Two Vodacom locked phones and one Cell C locked phone.

What's their story?
 
Hi woiswarren

As per ICASA no phones are allowed to be network locked anymore.
All you have to do is take it to the relevant service centre and as per ICASA
the network lock needs to be removed. Hope this helps
 
Or you can search for the unlock software on the internet and do it yourself.
 
Speaking of which, my gf has a O2 Sagem MyC4-2 phone from Ireland. It is sim-locked so we cannot put in a SA sim card. The thieves at the cell phone shop want R300 to unlock it. For a 2 minute procedure.. So what are my options i.t.o unlocking? I mean, come on, a crappy prepaid fone is only like R400 or something.

If someone can unlock it for sure, im willing to pay R100 for 2 minutes of work. But no more.
 
I just spoke to ICASA and they told me that phones can be netork locked still, but it is something they are working on.
 
Toilet_Duck said:
I just spoke to ICASA and they told me that phones can be netork locked still, but it is something they are working on.
Click to expand...

Pep Stores (not the most fashionable store but cheap nonetheless) are selling a variety of Vodacom phones. I tried a Vodacom V555 with a CellC SIM and it said "invalid SIM". Then the guy behind the counter said all their phones are locked. So I didn't buy it, although it was a very good price (R 120 cheaper than Game)
 
chrisc4290 said:
Pep Stores (not the most fashionable store but cheap nonetheless) are selling a variety of Vodacom phones. I tried a Vodacom V555 with a CellC SIM and it said "invalid SIM". Then the guy behind the counter said all their phones are locked. So I didn't buy it, although it was a very good price (R 120 cheaper than Game)
Click to expand...

Thank you for responding to a thread from 2006. Mybroadband wouldn't be complete without it :rolleyes:
 
Well, I have read critisisms about members not looking through existing posts before putting fingers to keyboard and posting a duplicate comment. So I looked for an existing post first. Is network locking no longer an issue? If so, some cellphone shops are still misinformed, since they maintain that the phones they get are network locked. I called Vodacom while I was at the shop but after 20 mins on hold, gave up.

A short while I spoke to Vodacom who said that while phones should not be locked, the procedure for inserting another provider's SIM might not just be a matter of taking out the Vodacom SIM and replacing with a CellC or MTN SIM. You must first go to the networks menu and ensure that other networks are available, then only insert the SIM. It has to do with how manufacturers interpret the instructions for the firmware.

Of course this might be a lot of hot air, and can even be a faulty handset, but when you insert a foreign SIM into a phone and the msg "Invalid SIM" appears, you need to know how to deal with it, and the excuse given by the salesperson might be the one that sprang to his mind.

Certainly in the UK, phones are locked. If you go to Carphone Warehouse, the identical prepaid phone will have 2 prices. A cheaper one for Vodafone and another for SIM free as they describe it.
 
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