Question about network locking

[Samoboleon]

There's probably someone out here that knows about this but instead of surfing through many websites that are wayyy too detailed, I decided to make an account on this.

So my question is, when you buy a mobile phone from a network provider like EE (in the UK) your phone that you buy is locked to that network, so you can't get a new simcard into it unless you pay to have it unlocked. How does this lock work? Is it a hardware boundary or is completely controlled by software in your phone? Thanks in advance. xxx

[vorticalbox]

Google PUK codes

[Samoboleon]

I googled PUK code because thats what it corrected me to and that's to do with a sim card being blocked, not locked.. I'm on about the fact that a provider will lock you to their network until after your contract, I'm not sure how that works and I'm interested.

[vorticalbox]

42 minutes ago, Samoboleon said:

I googled PUK code because thats what it corrected me to and that's to do with a sim card being blocked, not locked.. I'm on about the fact that a provider will lock you to their network until after your contract, I'm not sure how that works and I'm interested.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock

 

Give this a read.

[Samoboleon]

On 22/12/2016 at 6:36 PM, vorticalbox said:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIM_lock

 

Give this a read.

Thank you very much!