Have you ever wondered if it is possible to have more than one contract from different cell phone network providers? Well in most cases the answer is yes. That is if the cell phone isn’t locked by a specific cell phone network provider. It is often seen that a cell phone network provider will lock your phone so that you are only allowed to use their network sim card in that particular cell phone. Only if your phone isn’t locked then you will be able to insert different sim cards in the particular cell phone. A phone that is locked is actually useless, unless you use a sim card that is provided or in relation to the mobile provider.
Nowadays with the competitive market in cell phones, the prices have dropped tremendously with cell phone deals and packages. In most cases by signing up for a new contract you even get the mobile hand set for free, or at a very low price. In most cases the phone will then be locked or limited to only their sim cards. That is how they keep you under their services.
By signing up for a contract will in most cases lock you to the company for at least two years. And if you want to cancel your current contract to switch over to another company, you will be liable to pay a hefty contract termination fee. You will have to pay a set monthly fee. They might have not discussed it with you, but you are actually paying for that “free” phone. But if the package suites you then there is no need for questions. So it is thus very important to make sure you understand the terms and conditions, read the fine print.
If you travel a lot, then by being bound to a specific network, you won’t have as much flexibility as normal. If you go over seas then you don’t want to pay those heavy long distance and roaming fees. You would rather just use the local providers for the time that you are visiting. But if your phone is blocked by a specific cell phone provider then will need to buy a new cell phone.
By having a locked phone can be very frustrating, because if you want get any other services then you will have to deal with your current phone providers because you are on contract with them.
It is thus clear to us that more and more cell phone carriers are locking their phones in order to keep you with them. The cell phone market is very competitive and they will do anything to keep you in their grip.