What is a Sim Free Mobile Phone?
If you are currently on the lookout for a new handset, you may well have encountered a few that claim to be 'Sim free'. So what exactly is a Sim free mobile phone?
The simple answer is that it is any phone that is not tied to a specific network. They are completely unlocked, which ordinarily means that you can use a Sim card from any of the major networks and have it work as it would on a locked handset.
When you sign up for a contract or get a pay as you go mobile, you tend to have to select which network you want to go with. When it comes to a Sim free device, you have the opportunity to use an existing network or any other that you might wish to use.
This of course provides a great deal of freedom; however that does come at a cost. Mobile phone networks tend to subsidise a fair amount of the total cost of a handset. Whilst on a contract you might get it for free or at least have the cost significantly slashed, even on a pay as you go device there will be a certain percentage cut off the top of the manufacturer's price. This is primarily to attract users to use their services rather than venturing off elsewhere.
So when you do go down the Sim free mobile phone route, there will be an associated cost to deal with. However, if you are a network roamer and plan to use your phone for plenty of time to come, this can still work out to be a financially shrewd move.
For example, if you don't feel like one network offers you value for money, you can simply get another Sim and run it from the same phone. Equally, if you move abroad or are away on business a fair amount, you can simply interchange your networks so that you always have one for local use - wherever you may be.
Again, either of these uses will help you to keep your long-term costs down, whilst affording you the opportunity to do what you want, when you want to.
There are numerous mobile phone handsets available with a Sim free option. Often available from the manufacturers themselves as well as many specialist mobile phone stores, you can take your pick from the latest smartphones as well as some of the more basic models.
But don't be too shocked by the prices that you might find. Whilst you may have become accustomed to the subsidised costs offered by the networks on contracts and pay per view handsets, you have to accept that you will be paying far in excess of these.
Take the Nokia N97 as a good example. If you were to get this on a contract now it would most likely be free, as it is now over 6 months old and other, newer models are available. However, if you were to buy it as a Sim free device, you might be expecting to pay anything up to 400. Not exactly small change.
This of course is repeated across all other major mobile phone devices. You can find Sim free models from the likes of HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and of course the aforementioned Nokia. This provides great flexibility and a good deal of quality too.
So if you don't want to find yourself constrained by an 18 month contract or having to be stuck with a single network for the entire lifetime of your handset, then you should consider a Sim free model. Evidently it isn't without its risks, or indeed costs, but for many it still provides a great alternative to the more conventional route.
The simple answer is that it is any phone that is not tied to a specific network. They are completely unlocked, which ordinarily means that you can use a Sim card from any of the major networks and have it work as it would on a locked handset.
When you sign up for a contract or get a pay as you go mobile, you tend to have to select which network you want to go with. When it comes to a Sim free device, you have the opportunity to use an existing network or any other that you might wish to use.
This of course provides a great deal of freedom; however that does come at a cost. Mobile phone networks tend to subsidise a fair amount of the total cost of a handset. Whilst on a contract you might get it for free or at least have the cost significantly slashed, even on a pay as you go device there will be a certain percentage cut off the top of the manufacturer's price. This is primarily to attract users to use their services rather than venturing off elsewhere.
So when you do go down the Sim free mobile phone route, there will be an associated cost to deal with. However, if you are a network roamer and plan to use your phone for plenty of time to come, this can still work out to be a financially shrewd move.
For example, if you don't feel like one network offers you value for money, you can simply get another Sim and run it from the same phone. Equally, if you move abroad or are away on business a fair amount, you can simply interchange your networks so that you always have one for local use - wherever you may be.
Again, either of these uses will help you to keep your long-term costs down, whilst affording you the opportunity to do what you want, when you want to.
There are numerous mobile phone handsets available with a Sim free option. Often available from the manufacturers themselves as well as many specialist mobile phone stores, you can take your pick from the latest smartphones as well as some of the more basic models.
But don't be too shocked by the prices that you might find. Whilst you may have become accustomed to the subsidised costs offered by the networks on contracts and pay per view handsets, you have to accept that you will be paying far in excess of these.
Take the Nokia N97 as a good example. If you were to get this on a contract now it would most likely be free, as it is now over 6 months old and other, newer models are available. However, if you were to buy it as a Sim free device, you might be expecting to pay anything up to 400. Not exactly small change.
This of course is repeated across all other major mobile phone devices. You can find Sim free models from the likes of HTC, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and of course the aforementioned Nokia. This provides great flexibility and a good deal of quality too.
So if you don't want to find yourself constrained by an 18 month contract or having to be stuck with a single network for the entire lifetime of your handset, then you should consider a Sim free model. Evidently it isn't without its risks, or indeed costs, but for many it still provides a great alternative to the more conventional route.
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