Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackberry_Poland
I am still trying to solve this problem... I am grateful for your critical and fresh thinking...
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The issue is a BlackBerry with a carrier-subsidy lock isn't a problem, it's a
feature - a feature for the carrier. Get the carrier to unlock the phone. If you have an account in good standing and have been a customer for a while (3-6 months, it varies) you should be able to ask for an unlock code for international use. This is the downside to purchasing cheap phones - the phones will have carrier subsidies on them and thus be locked to that carrier. Which on the surface seems to be fair since the carrier is sharing part of the purchase price of the phone with the customer.
The other option is to buy a phone without a sudsidy and therefore no (hopefully) subsidy lock. I seem to recall being able to purchase BlackBerrys completely unbranded (no carrier branding and therefore no subsidy) but the price was A LOT MORE. It was one the order of $500-650 per device thereabouts. Or buy the phone at full retail without a contract and demand the phone be unlocked prior to leaving the store (not likely, but worth a shot).
So the problem isn't the phone is locked per se, the problem is the phone was likely subsidized. The solution may be to ween ourselves (collectively as consumers) off of carrier subsidies of phones, but I don't that will happen as who wants to pay retail? Everyone wants free phones or $200 blackberries.