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At one point in time, pretty much every mobile phone sold in Australia was locked to the network it was sold to work on. In some cases that was to do with the underlying network frequencies, but often it was also simply to lock you, the consumer, into keeping with that network. These days, phones on a contract are almost never network locked, but if you've got a prepaid phone from Optus, it's possible it might be restricted.
Unlocking your Optus mobile phone is a fairly easy procedure, although in some cases a fee may apply. This varies based on your device - Optus has different terms and fees for prepaid phones, tablets or mobile broadband services, and postpaid devices.
Optus charges a fee to unlock your device under certain circumstances. Prepaid mobile phones, prepaid tablets, and postpaid devices together with the length of time you've had the service all play a factor - see below for our breakdown.
An unlocked handset is one that can be used on any network, and that means you can take advantage of the wide range of plans available to you, especially if you opt for a prepaid phone plan. Mobile number portability allows you to take the same number with you within Australia, so you don't even have to update your contact details when you do.
That means you can take advantage of any special deals that other telcos can offer. It also opens up the phone for international roaming SIMs if you plan to travel, which can be a much cheaper alternative than paying fixed telco roaming rates.
Clearly, you need to make sure that there's enough value in the phone if an unlocking fee will be charged, because there's little point shelling out up to $80 on a phone that didn't cost you that much. Just make sure that you responsibly recycle or re-gift your handset if you're not planning to use it any more.
Image: Shutterstock
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Please help me unlock my ZTE Blade D phone. It’s locked with Optus network. Will be using Digicel network in PNG.
Hi Joe,
Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.
On this page you’re looking at, please follow the steps mentioned like getting the IMEI of your handset then go through the Optus’ network unlock page, which will involve entering your IMEI number, paying a fee – if applicable, and receiving a code to unlock your device. If unsuccessful, please contact Optus directly.
I hope this helps.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni