Sunday 5 October 2014

Buying Unlocked Mobile Phones Outright May Save You A Great Deal

By Shamar Smith


Most people in the industrial world have experience of cellphone contracts. Some are happy with the service and deals, while others are disappointed. Not all service providers offer equally good services or packages, but in most cases one is helpless to cancel a two year contract before its expiry date. In many regards, mobile phones outright allows you more flexibility, cost-saving and a wider choice of phones than lengthy cellphone contracts with a service provider.

Mobile phones purchased on a contract basis may initially seem cheap because the full prize is subsidized by your monthly fees to the service provider over a two year period. In the long run, however, it can actually work out more expensive than buying an unlocked phone where there is no contract or hidden administration fees involved and more options available.

A once-off payment for an unlocked mobile phone of your choice may initially seem more expensive than with a 2-year contract. If you spread the amount over two years, it may actually be cheaper than your accumulated monthly payments - especially if you have a cheaper plan.

With unlocked phones, you are not tied to a specific carrier and thus have a wider choice of phones to choose from. These cheaper phones, however, only work on GSM cellular networks using Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards. Not all mobile carriers operate on GSM networks and thus one will have to find out which ones are associated with unlocked phones.

People are often disappointed when they cannot upgrade their cellphone contract to include a specific phone of their choice because it is not included in their service provider's package deals. Service providers can only allow a certain amount of manufacturers' products on their networks and thus one's choice is often limited. Without a binding contract, you can pick and choose any trendy unlocked cellphone of your choice from any manufacturer.

Apart from being cheaper and allowing greater flexibility and choice, mobile phones are also very handy and cost-effective for frequent travelers. Most countries sell local SIM cards for this purpose. When you have an unlocked mobile handset of your preference, you just need to buy a SIM card from a carrier or prepaid phone company to activate your services.

The cellphone industry is especially huge in poor countries where the infrastructure for telephone land lines are limited or absent. These SIM cards, containing all your personal information such as phone number, contacts and calling history, can be inserted into any unlocked cellphone. Depending on the length of stay, one can choose a contract that is monthly renewable, or longer contracts.

Outright mobile phones are especially handy and cost-effective for people who often travel internationally. You can cut your international calling costs dramatically by simply buying a pre-paid SIM card with a local number of the country that you are visiting. Those who plan to travel to different countries during the same trip, can check out international roaming SIM cards with the cheapest roaming rates rather than buying a local SIM card in each country that they visit.

Depending on the frequency that you want to call friends and family at home, you can also just use your compatible GSM unlocked cellphone with your home number. Although the calling cost will be considerably more expensive, you will not have to continually give new contact numbers to the ones you need to call during your travels.

Another option for frequent travelers is to get a mobile device with dual SIM cards. These unlocked cellphones store both your regular SIM card and the SIM card of the country you are visiting. In this way you can receive calls from home on your regular home number and make and receive calls with the lower rates of a local number.

Technology is constantly changing and one should research the best options available. Depending on one's specific needs and cellphone habits, an unlocked cellphone that offers cheaper and more flexible plans might be best for you!




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