When you buy a phone from a certain carrier, it may be "locked" so that it can only be used with the carrier it came from. If you want to travel abroad and use a local SIM card so you don't have to pay roaming fees, you'll need to unlock the carrier on your phone. Most Nokia phones can be carrier unlocked with a few simple steps.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Unlocking Operators with Code
Step 1. Contact your carrier's customer service
If you are a loyal customer, you can request a cell phone carrier lock code for free, directly from the operator you use. Calling the carrier of origin is the best way to unlock the phone. Once you get the lock code, follow the instructions from your carrier to unlock the carrier on your phone.
Step 2. Remove the SIM card from the phone according to the manual, then turn on the phone
If prompted, enter your phone's PIN code. If your Nokia phone is fairly new, you can enter the lock code directly after inserting a new SIM card. Apart from the carrier, you can download certain programs to get the lock code. Once the lock code is received, you will see a SIM Restriction Off message on the phone screen. If you are using an old Nokia phone, read the next steps.
Step 3. Enter the following code:
# PW + lock code + 7#
. Press * twice to enter the "+" symbol, * three times to enter the letter P, or * four times to enter the letter W. If the code above is not accepted by your phone, try replacing the number "7" with "1".
Step 4. Unlock your Nokia phone
Once the lock code is received, you will see a SIM Restriction Off message on the phone screen.
Method 2 of 2: Unlocking Carrier with Software
Step 1. Download the program to generate a lock code
If your original carrier can't provide you with a lock code, you can download programs like UnlockMe and Nokia Unlock Calculator to "generate" a suitable lock code for your phone.
Step 2. Enter the information requested by the program provider site
If you are using the Nokia Unlock Calculator, you can simply enter the information and click Get Unlock Code at the bottom of the page. After getting the lock code, proceed to the next step.
Step 3. Insert the new SIM card into your phone, then enter the lock code that you got from the program
Once the lock code is received, you will see a SIM Restriction Off message on the phone screen.
Warning
- Most phones are set to reject the lock code after receiving several incorrect codes. After entering the wrong lock code 5 times, your Nokia phone will be permanently locked to its original carrier, unless you use a special device to unlock it.
- The carrier lock code for each phone is different. Do not use carrier lock codes from other phones, even if they are of the same type.
- Be careful when unlocking the carrier on the phone. Some carriers will void the phone's warranty if the carrier lock is unlocked.
- Most newer Nokia phones cannot be unlocked with the free program.
