Even though having a phone with a carrier restriction locking its cellular bands to a single network can be a real headache, it is fixable if you use the right tool. If you’re dealing with this, you’ll find this article helpful as we’ll talk about how to unlock Belong phones to all local and international network providers, so keep reading and start opening your device’s cellular bands today!
If I can’t Switch to Another Network, does it mean my Mobile Phone is SIM-Locked?
If your mobile device works perfectly fine with its original SIM card but when you insert another SIM from another network it stops working and shows as if it had no signal, then your phone is most likely network-locked. You can differentiate this lock from other connectivity issues because when you enter a different SIM card into a locked phone, it’ll show you a message saying that the SIM is not valid and prompting you to enter an unlock code to use it.
How does it affect me to have a Carrier-Locked Phone?
When your phone is locked to a specific network and you try to switch carriers, the device won’t read the new SIM. It will therefore be unable to place/receive phone calls, send/receive SMS messages, use mobile data, and in general, do everything that requires a network connection. For you as the phone’s end user, it means that you will be tied to the phone’s original carrier because the device won’t work with any other network, which can be very challenging. This will affect you, for example:
- When traveling out of the carrier’s coverage area because you’ll either have to pay expensive roaming fees or get another phone to use there.
- When moving to another city or country because you won’t be able to use a local SIM unless you unlock the phone.
- When reselling the phone because people are usually not willing to buy second-hand devices that can only be used with a single carrier.
- When deciding to switch to a carrier that better suits your needs and that offers you better prices, plans, incentives, etc.
Does Belong sell Network-Locked Handsets?
Even though they don’t sell new phones that come locked to their network (or at least that’s what is advertised), they do sell refurbished devices that according to some users, are carrier-locked not only to Telstra but to other networks. In general, there have been three scenarios that users have experienced:
- There have been people who didn’t buy a phone with Belong but did activate their Belong SIM on their phone, and it got locked to the Telstra network.
- There have been users who bought refurbished devices that came locked to Telstra.
- There have been people who bought refurbished devices that came locked to another network (like Vodafone and Optus), which we can assume is because those devices were first sold by those carriers, then refurbished by a third party, and then resold by Belong.
Why would my Belong phone be Locked to Telstra?
Well, not a lot of people know this but Belong doesn’t have a network of its own because it’s an MVNO, which is a provider that doesn’t own its infrastructure but instead, pays a bigger and better-established company to use its mobile spectrum license, which is Telstra in this case.
That is the reason why when a phone gets locked because of a Belong SIM card, it’s actually locked to Telstra’s network (because that’s the real owner of the cellular radial frequency used on that SIM). All in all, a phone locked to Belong or Telstra, is still a restricted device that has connectivity limitations and should be unlocked for a better experience.
How can I Unlock Belong Phones from the Telstra Network?
You can unlock your device either with the carrier or with an external unlock tool like UnlockHere. The process directly with Belong is very complicated and most of the time they end up telling you that you need to contact Telstra, and anyway, there are normally unlocking fees involved. That’s why in UnlockHere we developed an AI-powered system that can help all of those who are struggling with their carrier’s unlock process. It’s all aiming to offer people a free, requirements-free, and easy yet still effective solution!
If I Unlock my Belong Device, will that void the Phone’s Warranty?
Getting your phone unlocked from its mobile provider restriction will not void your warranty and you will not be asked to jailbreak/root the device or download weird programs into it. Most people are afraid of this because other unlock platforms on the internet do void warranties while in the unlock process, but you can rest assured that’s not the case with UnlockHere.
Ways to find your IMEI Number: Have it ready before starting the Process to Unlock your Phone!
The International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI number of your phone is a key piece of information that you’ll need to have handy to be able to unlock your phone because this —15/17 digit long— code contains important information about the device’s specifications. We need it because that number helps us effectively unlock your handset automatically without the need for a network unlock code or a downloadable app.
So, if you don’t have the IMEI of your device but want to place the unlock order on our website and unlock your phone for free, what you can do is dial *#06# from your phone’s dialing keypad. If not, you can also go to your phone settings to find the IMEI on your phone’s specifications or look it up on the box your phone came in (its original packaging).
How do I Place an Order to Unlock a Telstra or Belong Phone?
Getting a completely and permanently unlocked phone with UnlockHere is very easy! All you need to do is click here to access our carrier unlock page and select the brand of your device. Then, as we were explaining, you’ll need to enter the IMEI of the phone you need to unlock, enter your name and email, and finally just click on the button that says start process. With that, you’ll be sending us your request and our AI-powered unlock assistant, Nifty, will start working on it!
Which Device Brands are Compatible with UnlockHere?
As UnlockHere is a fully online solution that doesn’t have to be downloaded/installed on the locked device, it has great compatibility with phones of any brand and model. It doesn’t matter if you have an Android or an iOS device, you just have to select the brand of the phone before sending us your unlock request and your handset will be unlocked for free without a problem.
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