You can buy new unlocked phones on sale or from your carrier.  Once you have purchased an unlocked phoe, what do you do next? Well, the next step would be to choose a carrier that can give you perfect coverage, so you don’t face call drops and other inconveniences. Network providers have a wide variety of plans to offer their customers. Always choose a plan that’s right for you.

What is an unlocked phone?
A few years back, smartphones came locked. When a phone is locked, a customer stays loyal to a wireless carrier through a contract period of at least 2 years. This way, wireless carriers were assured of their investment. An unlocked smartphone simply means that no contract can tie you down. You are free to select your choice of carrier and plan.

How does an unlocked phone work differently from a locked one?
To ensure that your unlocked smartphones work best for you, it is first necessary to understand how an unlocked phone works. To begin with, all unlocked phones work with carriers that use the GSM network. Some of the carriers that use GSM networks are AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket Wireless, as well as some others. To activate the phone, the buyer needs to insert SIM cards from any GSM provider into their unlocked smartphones.

In cases where a buyer gets a prepaid plan, there are GSM carriers like AT&T, GoPhone, TracFone, and others through which a phone can be activated.

There are two categories into which phones are divided: CDMA and GSM. These are technologies on which phones work. Both CDMA and GSM phones are locked. A buyer can switch carriers only when he has an unlocked GSM phone.

Before buying an unlocked phone, it is important to know what frequency band a buyer’s carrier uses. Some carriers like Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology, whereas AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM technology. After deciding the carrier, the buyer can take his phone to a carrier outlet, insert a SIM card into the device, and get his phone activated. Unlocked phones have made things easier and simpler for buyers.