# What is meant by sim free



## crown128 (19 Aug 2011)

Hello people,

  I am looking to buy the Blackberry 9900 for £500 so you can understand why I don’t want to make a mistake. I’ve basically seen a sim card only on the three website. Its £15 sim card only on a 12 month contract. I’ve asked if the card can be used with the Blackberry 9900 and was asked if the phone had been un-locked. I’m buying the phone listed as sim free Blackberry 9900 from car phone warehouse. I’m not sure if the sim card will work. Any help most appreciated.

  crown


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## PaddyBloggit (19 Aug 2011)

SIM free means use can use the phone on any network.


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## AlbacoreA (20 Aug 2011)

At the risk of repeating , Paddy....

It means. You can use a sim from any network in the phone. 

Usually of you get a phone from say O2, the phone is locked so it only works with O2 sims. Ditto all of the networks. If it doesn't have this limitation its called sim free or unlocked.


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## AlbacoreA (20 Aug 2011)

Why are you buying the phone sim free in the first place. On an expensive phone generally you get it on contract, so its cheaper. Then at the end of the contract the network will unlock the phone for you.


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## Berry (8 Sep 2011)

I preper to buy only sim free phones. Even though I have one network for 7 years.


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## AlbacoreA (8 Sep 2011)

Sim free phones often have the default firmware un-butchered by the network provider. This means you don't have to wait for updates from the network, you can get them direct from the phone maker. On my Nokia for example O2 sold it with old buggy firmware and then never released any update. I had to modify my phone to get updates from Nokia.


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## Complainer (11 Sep 2011)

AlbacoreA said:


> Sim free phones often have the default firmware un-butchered by the network provider. This means you don't have to wait for updates from the network, you can get them direct from the phone maker. On my Nokia for example O2 sold it with old buggy firmware and then never released any update. I had to modify my phone to get updates from Nokia.



Can't you just update the firmware using Nokia's Ovi Suite tools?


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## AlbacoreA (11 Sep 2011)

No. You get the networks updates only.


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## Complainer (11 Sep 2011)

AlbacoreA said:


> No. You get the networks updates only.



Are you certain? Have you tried this? When I've done updates via Ovi suite, there is no mention of or link to the network - it just picks up the latest version from Nokia.


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## AlbacoreA (11 Sep 2011)

Yup and I was on the O2 forums complaining about it. Not that they did anything about it. Phone has a country code, so for example mine was a Ireland O2. So mine only got the O2 Ireland updates. of which there was never any. I switched my phone to a generic Euro code and got 4 updates. Fixing some of the issues I had with the phone. 

You may have a phone that your network actually did an update. But often they don't. Even if they do, they may be a behind the default Nokia updates. Whereas a unlocked, unbranded phone will get the latest one straight away.


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## Complainer (12 Sep 2011)

I just checked Ovi over lunchtime, and the exact same latest firmware version is available on both the Nokia website and via Ovi suite - no difference there.


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## AlbacoreA (12 Sep 2011)

Then you don't have a problem. What answer are you looking for?


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## Complainer (12 Sep 2011)

AlbacoreA said:


> Then you don't have a problem. What answer are you looking for?


I'm looking for an answer that validates your claim that O2 customers don't get firmware updates at the same time as sim-free customers.


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## AlbacoreA (12 Sep 2011)

You mean like this...



http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=57396538

[broken link removed]
[broken link removed]

I used O2 as an example. It happens across all or most providers AFAIK.

A test on a sample of one (your phone) isn't going to be representative of the hundreds of different providers and the hundreds of different phone models.


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## Complainer (12 Sep 2011)

Got it, thanks.


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## AlbacoreA (12 Sep 2011)

Newer, more popular phones networks might actually keep up to date better. its a pain anyway. My point was solely that its an advantage of unbranded phones, sim free phones. 

Its a different but similar issue with Android. Some makers like Sony, change the default OS. So you have to wait for Sony's version of an Android update for your phone. Some like the Nexus phones have plain unmodified android, so you get the updates much faster. 

Why is all so complicated. Madness.


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## AlbacoreA (12 Oct 2011)

DerekTiernan said:


> It means that you pay full price for the phone



In general yes. But sometimes the bill pay price isn't cheaper. Always shop around.


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