can I purchase a cell from one provider and unlock it and use it for a diffrent provider ?

Question

If I were to buy a blackberry through t-moblie would I be able to unlock it and use metro pcs service? If so how do you unlock a cell phone?????

Answer 1

Hello;

If you buy a GSM/GPRS cell (in this case a BB) it potentially can be unlocked to work on another GSM/GPRS provider's network.

You will not be able to perform the unlocking process yourself as it can (depending on the hardware) require either (and sometimes both) a software "fix" or a hardware "fix". Most people do not have the expertise or equipment to perform this type of work.

That being said, you have two options open to you. 1) You could buy your BB as you mentioned in your post and then locate a local company to perform the unlock for you (usually $100 + with no guarantee of it working).

2) The more preferable method is to simply purchase an unlocked BB from a source such as eBay or Tigerdirect.com and then get service from the provider of your choosing.

The second option is certainly the easiest, and usually the less risky of the two.

Hope this helps!