Not all wireless carriers use the SPC code. The SPC is can be used to activate a brand new phone onto wireless service, and it works only one time.
#Metro pcs master unlock code code
Enter the SIM unlock code, and the phone should now be permanently unlocked, and ready to take any SIM card.ĬDMA phones can have two six-digit codes a one-time service programming code (SPC), and the master subsidy lock (MSL). Power the phone back on, and it should prompt you to enter the SIM unlock code. Power off your cell phone, remove the existing SIM card, and insert the new SIM card. Give the IMEI to your provider's customer service agent, and then they will be able to look up the SIM unlock code for your phone.
The IMEI is most likely located under the phone's battery, or printed on the side of the box the phone came in, if you still have it. You will need to give them the IMEI (serial number) of your phone, as the unlock code is unique to each IMEI. (United States residents these countries are Iran, Syria, or any other place where there are no normal diplomatic relations.) Tell them that you need to use your phone while away, but will need to purchase a foreign prepaid SIM card since the phone will not roam, and need the SIM unlock code in order to use aforementioned prepaid SIM card.Īs long as you are under contract, the provider will most likely give the SIM unlock code to you. The easiest way to get the SIM unlock code from your provider is to tell them that you are traveling someplace internationally where they have no roaming agreement in place. Once the code is entered, the phone is permanently unlocked and is capable of using any SIM card. GSM phones have an 8-digit code (BlackBerry uses a 16-digit code) used to unlock the the phone to the service provider. SIM cards from other providers are rejected, and will not work in the phone until the unique SIM unlock code is entered into the handset. In this case, the phone will only recognize SIM cards of that particular wireless provider. Subsidized GSM phones work in a similar manner. No other provider will know the code for the phone, and hence, will not be able to program the phone to work on their service. Since the master subsidy lock code is needed every time a CDMA phone is reprogrammed, it makes it possible for a wireless provider to ensure that the phone will only generate revenue on their network, and not on a similar, competing network. Once the SIM lock code is entered into a GSM handset, the phone is unlocked and can be used with any provider's SIM card. GSM phones use a 'SIM lock' or 'SP lock' in order to prevent the use of SIM cards from competing providers in their handsets. TDMA IS-136 phones use a 'SOC lock' to make the phone search for signals broadcasting a particular service operator code. CDMA phones typically refer to this code as the 'master subsidy lock code', a 'programming code', or a 'sublock code'. This subsidy lock is a numeric code known only to the service provider, and must be known in order to program the mobile telephone number (MTN) into the phone. How does the provider recoup the subsidy if you did not sign a contract, or if you are using pre-paid service? In this case, the carrier usually implements some sort of subsidy lock on the telephone. This ensures that the wireless provider will receive revenue for the term of the contract, and thus, will pay off the subsidy interest in the phone.
How can this happen? Well, the wireless provider can implement a combination of either one or two methods in order to recoup their susbidy interest in your phone.įirst of all, most wireless providers require that in order to receive post-paid service, you must sign a contract, typically one year in length.
#Metro pcs master unlock code free
This practice can easily be seen when a wireless reseller is giving away free phones. The price that you pay for the phone is often less than the price that the provider paid the manufacturer for the same phone.
Wireless telephone providers often subsidize the cost of the handsets that are used on their system.