Can I buy a mobile phone in UK and use here?

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monkey0804

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My mobile is falling apart so I need to replace it. I will be on holidays in the UK in two weeks. I'm guessing it's cheaper to buy a phone there, but should I be concerned if it will work when I get home? I am a pay as you go 02 customer.

THanks.
 
With the majority of phones, they will be 'sim locked' to a specific network on purchase (the company will provide you with an unlock code, but only after you meet certain criteria [e.g. £xxx minimum spend]).

You pay a premium to get a 'sim free' phone. So take care to understand what restrictions might be on your phone prior to purchase.

There are many companies who offer 'unlocking' services for phones, but I'd assume the legality of these services is fairly questionable at best.

Other than the sim restrictions, you won't have any issues with a phone purchased in the UK working here.
 
If you have a delivery address in the UK, have a look at sim-free phones on Amazon (they don't deliver them to Ireland). I picked up a straightforward (i.e. not "high tech"!) sim-free phone from them last year, cost about 60 euro.
 
Satanta said:
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There are many companies who offer 'unlocking' services for phones, but I'd assume the legality of these services is fairly questionable at best....
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I don't think so. Why would be it illegal to unlock your own phone? You own it, you don't rent it. Most providers will do it for you for free once your out of contract. A lock is only to make it difficult for you to change network. If theres something illegal about it, please give details.

The only danger is you might break the phone. I don't think that is common though. I don't think sim free phones make a lot of financial sense they are often extremely expensive, and Locked phones, Pay as you go are cheap anyway. Some phones aren't locked. Guy at work gets his phones in the north and they are always unlocked already. Maybe he knows which ones aren't locked or maybe carphonewarehouse (I think) doesn't lock them.
 
AlbacoreA said:
I don't think so. Why would be it illegal to unlock your own phone? You own it, you don't rent it. Most providers will do it for you for free once your out of contract.
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I'm not suggesting that 'unlocking' itself is in any way illegal, more so that a very large number of the companies (my opinion, I've no figures to back that up) offering it do so in a questionable manner.

I'd also hate to have to try and pursue any of these operations if something went wrong in the process leaving you with a fairly expensive paperweight (though this is uncommon, with the more complicated firmware hitting the market it is a possibility).

While the act of "box breaking" may be legal, most "box breaking" businesses are doing illegal things like (1) importing/exporting box-broken phones to other countries (to sell as grey market goods) without paying import duties, (2) defrauding various tax authorities on VAT frauds and (3) substituting counterfeit batteries or chargers. [1] [2] [3] [4] Recently network operators have been insisting that new customers purchase substantial amounts of airtime at the same time as they buy a new handset[citation needed], in order that the total price they pay comes close to the true value of the handset.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock

AlbacoreA said:
Maybe he knows which ones aren't locked or maybe carphonewarehouse (I think) doesn't lock them.
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A quick google seems to suggest that CPW don't lock their phones. That's an interesting one, but makes sense for CPW given that they gain nothing from a phone being locked to a specific network. Thanks for the headsup.
 
Satanta said:
I'm not suggesting that 'unlocking' itself is in any way illegal, more so that a very large number of the companies (my opinion, I've no figures to back that up) offering it do so in a questionable manner...
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Bad service isn't illegal. Other than that, I can't see whats questionable about it. Unlocking a phone isn't illegal. Unblocking a phone, is illegal. But this thread isn't about that. So if unlocking isn't illegal, and breaking a phone through unlocking is unlikely. Because you can usually hard rest them to default. I can't see what problem you have with it.

Usually when I'm finished with a phone I get it unlocked or do it myself, so I can pass it on to others in the family who may not be on the same network as me. sometimes its handy to have phone around to test other sims in. I unlocked my current nokia because the network provider sold it with old (buggy) firmware, the only way to get the latest firmware was to unlock it.
 
AlbacoreA said:
Bad service isn't illegal.
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No, but VAT fraud, non declaration of income, non payment of duties, replacement with counterfeit goods, etc. (as mentioned in the Wiki citation) is.

It just means that if the OP chooses to go down this route, they should try and insure it's with a reputable supplier of the service in case they have issues down the line (I know at least one colleague who had a phone 'bricked' during unlocking, with no compensation from the offending party and nothing more than a 'what did you expect' from the authorities).
 
I'd recommend the OP get one of [broken link removed]. For £21 (delivered) you'll have a SIM-free phone that'll work here and a (UK) o2 SIM card for your trip.
 
Satanta said:
No, but VAT fraud, non declaration of income, non payment of duties, replacement with counterfeit goods, etc. (as mentioned in the Wiki citation) is.

It just means that if the OP chooses to go down this route, they should try and insure it's with a reputable supplier of the service in case they have issues down the line (I know at least one colleague who had a phone 'bricked' during unlocking, with no compensation from the offending party and nothing more than a 'what did you expect' from the authorities).
Click to expand...

That citation is in relation to places that do "box breaking". not unlocking.

You seem set against unlocking without any good reason.
 
Not in the slightest. I have all of my current phones unlocked as do most/all of my friends/family (other than those with phones too new to be unlocked yet). I just unlocked all of them directly through my network, so with zero associated risk.

I'm not even against unlocking services per se (unlocking a phone via box breaking), as long as the person using it is aware of the potential risks associated with it.
 
The OP is simply looking for a cheap phone. You don't have to go near unlocking.

You can buy a cheap phone in the UK, unlocked sim free with a UK sim card. Likewise you can buy a Irish O2 Pay As You go phone, for about €30 but with a load of free credit on it. Which O2 will likely unlock for you after 12 months.

The Irish phone seems like a better deal to me. But note, you probably can't get roaming on a new O2 Pay as you go phone unless you add a bunch of credit, or have it while.
 
If it can be unlocked then it will work anywhere as long as the band is supported on the network of a certain country.
 
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