I have a GSM telephone by T-Mobile and when I went overseas this time I took it with me figuring I could pop a sim card into it and use it in the country I was visiting. Turned out since the phone was a branded one it was locked out from being able to be used in another country. I found a unlock code for it on a website and weighed using it but decided against it.
Instead I bought a cheap phone and will use that on future travels. The true test will be when I get back and try the Sim from T-Mobile in the new phone. It seems a group of consumers are pissed of about this lockout feature and are suing to force companies to unlock the phones we buy.
I must admit that in the United States I do not see cell phones for-sale stand-alone seems most are branded. As consumers become more educated this will change. [Boing Boing] [Popular Science] [Unlock Me] [GSM Software]
Its a shame that no one told this to you earlier. T-Mobile will unlock your phone for you. You give them a call, tell them you would like to unlock your phone, enter a code, and Volla! Your phone is unlocked or “unbranded”.
Most consumers don’t know much about service locking. Although it is quite common, there are many easy ways to get around it.
If you need more help on this, send me a message.