Audiovox PPC6700 ALLTEC will not work on Australia Vodaphone Network
Dear Sir/Madam,
To unlock the phone u call the customer service of vodaphone and ask the CODE to unlock the phone.
Step 1: Getting the mysterious unlock code
Persuading your phone network carrier to give you the unlock code to
your cell phone may be the most difficult part of the entire process.
The code is a number entered into U.S. phones to allow a SIM card
from a third-party carrier to work with your cell phone. Internet
message boards are full of complaints about carriers withholding codes
along with offers of software or services for unlocking. But I also
found a number of postings from people who said they got the code from
their carrier simply by asking.
I called AT&T as a customer and explained my situation: I was
going to the U.K. for one week, and would like to avoid high roaming
fees by using a local SIM card. I explained that I had no wish to
permanently change carriers, as I had a two-year contract and was happy
with their service. Could I please have the unlock code for my phone?
I was met with a little reluctance. The first customer service
representative told me this would require her to "submit a case" for
getting the unlock code and that once approved it could take up to a
week for the "unlock code team" to figure out the code for my
particular phone. Her supervisor then tried to sell me an international
plan that would reduce the usual $1.29 per-minute charge to "only" 99
cents per minute. I promptly declined. He then told me that it could
take a week to get the code because it must be sent from the
manufacturer.
Step 2: Unlocking your phone, activating the SIM card
I chose Vodafone as my test case and went to its store in Paddington
Station upon arriving in London. Gabriel, the Vodafone employee who
helped me, was kind enough to let me verify that the unlock code and
the Vodafone SIM card worked before he charged me for the SIM card.
Before doing anything, I confirmed my phone's IMEI by typing in
"*#06#" and "send". AT&T had sent the unlock code for the correct
IMEI.
Next, I removed my old SIM card, inserted the new prepaid Vodafone
SIM card and turned on my phone. I was immediately prompted to enter my
eight-digit unlock code and instructed to press "OK". Doing this made
the SIM and my phone available for use.
Vodafone's activation process was simple. You activate, get your
phone number, set up voice mail, check your balance and add to your
balance by punching in a numeric code for each function and pressing
send. The company gives you a little book and cheat sheet to remember
the codes.
The SIM card kit, which costs $10 (5 pounds) and includes $2 worth
of talk time and free weekend calls and texts, remains active as long
as you use it at least once every nine months. This means you can reuse
the same SIM card and phone number the next time you travel where that
network is available.
There are several price plans to choose
from, depending on variables like mobile TV, free nights and weekends,
video or picture messaging, video calling, mobile broadband, unlimited
monthly usage and texting. I went with the standard "Anytime" plan that
was 60 cents for the first three minutes of the day and 20 cents after
that. You could save more money by buying 70 texts for $10 and just
texting.
I bought a 5-pound Vodafone "TopUp" voucher with cash and entered
the 12-digit code it came with on my phone to add more money to the SIM
card. The vouchers also are available via ATMs for the banks HSBC,
Lloyds, TSB, Natwest or Royal Bank of Scotland. You can alternatively
register your credit card with Vodafone and add minutes by texting.
Step 3: The road test. And: What about switching back?
The phone worked without a hitch. It was nice to be able to give people
in the U.K. a local phone number for their convenience and also store
their incoming numbers on my own phone. Also, phone numbers provided
when calling information can be texted to your phone. That may not seem
like much, but it can be much easier than struggling to scribble down a
four-digit exchange and six-digit number dispatched by a fast-talking
operator.
Upon returning home, I was a little nervous: Nobody from either
AT&T or Vodafone told me how to switch back to my original service.
Upon landing in New York, I simply removed the Vodafone SIM card, put
my AT&T SIM card back in and powered on the phone. After a few
minutes, my phone reconnected with the local network and I was back to
my old service.
Things to consider
Your phone must be compatible with one of the networks used in the country you're visiting. My Cingular
8525 (AT&T 8525)
is compatible with GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE; UMTS and HSDPA. The
major mobile carriers in the U.K. use GSM 900, GSM 1800 and 3G
networks, so there was no problem.
Finally, there's no guarantee that your carrier or phone
manufacturer will be cooperative in handing over the unlock code for
your phone. A little extra patience while on the phone with the
customer service representative and giving your carrier plenty of
notice before your trip will likely help.
Thanks
Good Luck
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