Who is UnlockCellphone.com?
Established in late 2002 by a consumer like you, who was fed up with not being able to use his world GSM phone abroad because it was locked and Cingular refused to unlock it. We are the pioneer of nation wide cell phone unlocking in the US, we give cell phone owners the freedom to choose service providers with existing handsets. Our mission is very simple and highly focused: We believe in the right for cell phone owners to choose any compatible network service providers. Now UnlockCellphone is part of the MondoAccess network devoted to providing accurate and valuable information for consumers of cell phone services.
Formerly known as the Mobile Electronics Warehouse, we are located in San Diego, California. We were featured in Los Angeles Times in what was the first article in the media about cell phone unlocking. Since then, NBC San Diego, WirelessWeek, San Diego Union Tribune, and various media have written about cell phone unlocking and us.
We are committed to the highest quality service at affordable prices. Our main office is in San Diego with R&D partners in Europe and Asia. Whether you are an individual consumer or a business, we are glad to help you.
About the founder
Lincoln Han founded UnlockCellphone at the age of twenty-one when no one could unlock his Ericsson T28w. He was determined to get it done and change the business practice of the network carriers. He realized he found a niche that can help millions of consumers just like him. Lincoln has been an entrepreneur since an early age. Since the age of thirteen, he has operated a Bulletin Board System; a custom computer and computer service business; and a custom software development business. He has built many computers, unlocked thousands of phones, and developed software from utilities programs, multimedia titles to various web applications. He studied EE at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.
What is unlocking and why unlock your cell phone?
We recommend you read a brief overview of cell phone unlocking at the Quick Answers pages. For a more detailed explanation, visit the FAQ. In short, cell phone unlocking means removing the artificial single-network restriction in the handset.
Most likely your phone is locked to the carrier who sold you the phone. By locking your phone, they prevent you from using another provider of the same network technology service. Unlocking your phone is the process to enable your phone to switching to another carrier of the same network technology. For example, the domestic GSM network are used by T-Mobile, AT&T. Sprint, Verizon, Cricket, Alltel, US Cellular, Qwest use the CDMA network. The i-DEN network is used by Nextel and Boost Mobile.
What are the benefits of unlocking your phone?
1. You can keep the same phone when switching to a different compatible provider
2. You can use a second-hand phone
3. You can travel abroad with an unlock world phone and use a local SIM card to avoid paying expensive roaming. In fact, most countries offer pre-paid SIM cards that don’t even charge for incoming calls.
In most parts of the world, the buyers have an option to buy phones that are never locked. In fact, all phones are not locked from the manufacturers; it is the network carrier who decides to lock them to its own network.
GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is the most used wireless network technology around the world. Here in North America, 1900MHz is the most used frequency, although 850MHz band has been introduced recently and is gaining acceptance. The rest of the world use 900 or 1800MHz. GSM Phones use a SIM (Subscribe Identify Module) card to store the necessary network access information, subscriber information and phone book.
Today, many GSM phones provided by network carriers are world phones, meaning that they can be used world-wide. However, unless these phones are unlocked first, taking a locked world phone abroad won’t give you the ability to use local SIM card to save money.
Of course, the network carriers also sell many GSM phones that can only be used within North America. Yet, it is still beneficial to have the phone unlocked so it will make carrier switching easier and cheaper. If you switch carrier from one GSM provider to another, you can save from buying another phone. Some carriers allow you to go month-to-month if you provide your own phone (this is because the phones are not subsidized) Nextel and Boost’s phones also use SIM card, but they are not GSM phones. They use a technology called i-DEN, which is incompatible with GSM.
Whether you are switching carriers or traveling abroad, phone portability is now a reality.
Why choose us?
We offer reliability, reputation and speed. We are the pioneer of cell phone unlocking here in the United States and we have more experience than any other companies here. Our thousands of satisfied customers and clients keep coming back to us because we provide high quality and knowledgeable service. We are flexible to serve your needs. In addition, for international travelers, our extensive international experience will provide you with the best service.