locked/unlocked gsm phones?

[iamjacksnickname]

i read somewhere that one shouldn't buy a locked gsm phone, but should insist that the carrier unlock it. can anyone give me an idea of what this means exactly, and whether this is something that they will really do for you? thanks...

[Matt]

Depends on where you buy it from. It you buy a phone from a carrier it will be locked (subsidy locked). The carriers lock the phones so it will only work with one of their SIMs since they are giving you the phone at a greatly reduced price. It doesn't affect you unless you want to use the phone with another GSM carrier (and their SIM), either in the US or overseas. T-Mobile will unlock your phone after a few months, although I've heard that they may do it after your 15 day return period has expired (since you would have to pay $200 to quit). Not sure how Cingular handles this; AT&T does not unlock their phones.

You can also get a phone unlocked online for $30-40. TM, for example, does it free.

You can buy unlocked phones off ebay, but the prices are high and you are not sure if it is unlocked or not. Places link gsmphonesource.com also sell new unlocked phones (I have never used them).

It only matters if you want to switch carriers or travel overseas.