Quick questions about phones

Elessar

Right so I'm not to well up on mobile phones/sim free/unlocking and that stuff so I'd just like some clarification.

I want to upgrade my phone on Meteor. Do I absolutely have to buy a phone from Meteor for it to work? Or can I buy one online "sim free" and have it work without problems?

If the phone is sim free, does it have to be unlocked still? If not when does a phone need unlocking exactly?

I am thinking about the Nokia N72 from meteor (€99 not bad) but would prefer the N73 (which they don't have yet). If I bought one online then would it be ok?

Actually, why is the Meteor price a lot less than the phone is selling for online?

Lastly, should I wait for the N73 instead?

Creamy Goodness

when a company advertises a phone as sim free, it generally means it will take any sim card at all.

a phone needs unlocking when you buy a subdised (spelling) phone off vodafone, o2 or in your case meteor.

any pay as you go phone and bill phones will generally be locked to the specific operator you bought them with ie. your current phone is most likely locked to meteor.

you'd only unlock the phone if you wished to sell it on to someone who's on a different network or if you were moving network yourself and wished to keep the phone.

meteor can charge less for phones generally because they can first of all get discount from the phone manufacturers and secondly and more importantly is that to buy a phone at that low price meteor offer they tied you into a contract so they are guaranteed money off you for the next 12/24 months or whatever length your contract is...

hope this answers some of your questions.

Elessar

Cremo wrote:

when a company advertises a phone as sim free, it generally means it will take any sim card at all.

a phone needs unlocking when you buy a subdised (spelling) phone off vodafone, o2 or in your case meteor.

any pay as you go phone and bill phones will generally be locked to the specific operator you bought them with ie. your current phone is most likely locked to meteor.

you'd only unlock the phone if you wished to sell it on to someone who's on a different network or if you were moving network yourself and wished to keep the phone.

meteor can charge less for phones generally because they can first of all get discount from the phone manufacturers and secondly and more importantly is that to buy a phone at that low price meteor offer they tied you into a contract so they are guaranteed money off you for the next 12/24 months or whatever length your contract is...

hope this answers some of your questions.

Thanks. Prepay phones have no contract though, and some phones are being heavily discounted there aswell. All in the name of wooing customers I guess.