When you purchase a cell phone, it is possible that it is locked to the network of your carrier. By unlocking it, you can lower your costs, switch providers and sell your phone. This can be achieved by using a free unlock phone code. However, some background information may be beneficial first.

Why Should You Find a Free Unlock Phone Code?

When a phone is locked to the carrier network, this means that if you try to put in a SIM from a different carrier, it won't work. By unlocking your phone, you will access a number of different benefits. Firstly, you can find a cheaper tariff. For instance, you could find a good SIM-only deal and keep your handset. You can also access promotional deals. More and more carriers are giving free SIMs away as a promotion, often with some free minutes or texts. If your phone is unlocked, you can use these. Another big benefit is that the value of your handset will increase. If you want to sell your device, you will get more for it because more people will be interested in buying it. Finally, you will have the freedom to roam, putting in local SIM cards if you are ever abroad.

Basically, when you unlock your phone, you become independent from a carrier. Best of all, with a free unlock phone code, it is really easy to do this. Not all phones can be unlocked for free, unfortunately, but if you do have to pay, it shouldn't be much.

How to Use a Free Unlock Phone Code:

First of all, you should check whether your phone is definitely locked. Simply swap your existing SIM for that of a different network to find out. You may be surprised to find it is already unlocked.

Using a code to unlock your phone is known as 'remote unlocking'. This means that you enter a code into your phone, which will then remove any restrictions. This is the easiest and most common method to use. There are a number of websites where you can find codes that allow you to unlock your phone. However, for the latest handset models, there will usually not be any codes – yet – but it is always worth having a look. Generally speaking, however, the free codes are only available for older LGs, Nokias, Siemens and Panasonics.

In order to use a free unlock phone code, you need three sets of data. You need the brand and model number of your device, its current network, and the associated IEMI code. You will likely be aware of the first two pieces of information, so that shouldn't be too difficult to complete. The IEMI code is the International Mobile Equipment Identity number. Every mobile phone on the planet has one and it is completely unique. If a phone is reported stolen or lost, this number is set as invalid, which means it won't work anymore. To get yours, type in *#06# and it will appear.

There are lots of websites out there that focus on phone unlocking. Many of these look specifically at Nokias, for which there are many dedicated websites. For other brands, however, there are also numerous sources. Places like Unlockapedia are particularly good, as are various online forums on mobile phones.