Improve the Fixya.com experience for everyone by voting!
Let me give you a little background and then some solutions. This is generic because I don't know your carrier. I'm using ATT as an example.
Phones are naturally unlocked, but a service provider might lock them
When originally manufactured, all GSM cell phones are unlocked. That is, they can be used with any SIM from any cellphone service provider - always assuming, of course, that the cellphone service provider has compatible GSM service on the same frequency bands that the phone can operate on.
Most cell phone service providers electronically 'lock' the phone so that it can only be used with their service. There are obvious reasons why they choose to do this - in particular, to force you to pay what are usually very high roaming charges when you take your phone out of their network and use it elsewhere in the world.
Fortunately, this locking is reversible. With some phones, it is possible to simply enter an unlocking password code into the phone and it is immediately then unlocked. Other phones need to be connected up to a special unlocking data terminal.
Your phone has to be unlocked by the carrier. LG, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, Nokia and most of their ilk, will not give consumers the unlock codes but don't despair.
A PUK (PIN Unlock Key) code is required to unlock SIM cards that have become locked following three successive incorrect PIN entries. If your SIM card becomes locked, you will need to get a PUK code from your carrier. For example, if you have AT&T to unlock your SIM card, you can obtain your phone's PUK code from AT&T by:
? logging in to your my wireless Account online ? using their Technical Support Chat ? calling Customer Care at 1-800-331-0500
To get your phone's PUK code online from ATT:
? Log in to your my wireless Account. ? Select My Services under My Account. ? From the My Services screen, select My Phone/Device. ? Select Unblock SIM Card. ? The Unblock SIM screen will display your PUK code.
Once you receive your PUK code, you will need to enter it into your phone to set a new PIN code.
Note: If you enter the wrong ATT PUK code 10 times in a row, your SIM card will be invalidated, and you will need to purchase a new SIM Card. The phone will display the following error: "PUK blocked call operator."
There are three other ways to unlock a phone:
? The carrier will unlock the phone for you at one of its retail outlets; ? You can do it yourself by clicking on this link Free Unlock Codes , ? Pay $3.89 at the following website: www.theunlockshack.com/. I have absolutely no affiliation or relationship with The Unlock Shack or its principals.
I trust that this is helpful and solves your problem. All the best
that actually depends on the network provider (telco) that you have (at&t, telus, verizon, etc) these phones have roaming capabilities but that is still based on the subscription you have with telco. better call your telco about this issue and request for roaming settings. if thats not possible, your phone must be open line with other network provider for you to be able to use a different sim card.
Is the phone offering you alternative ways to connect it? If it offers 'mass storage mode' you can choose that and the phone should act like a flash stick.
If not, you will probably need to download Nokia PC Suite, it pretty much walks you through installation from there and you can navigate to your photos and copy them off onto your computer.
That could be the result of someone trying to jail break the phone.
The IMEI numer is a specific identification number for that specific phone and if changed will render the phone useless.
Question edited for clarity.
So the phone was likely stolen in Australia and shipped to Sri Lanka for sale. For the technician to unlock it by playing with the IMEI, it must have been PUK Locked AKA a SIM Lock. To remove a normal customer set PIN Lock, you just do a hard reset which scrubs the phone clean and reloads the operating system with no lock.
A PUK Lock can only be removed by the carrier that provided the phone. The technician tried the impossible task of removing an RSA 128 bit encryption lock by playing with the firmware and corrupted it.
You have three choices
1. Give it back to the technician and tell him to fix his mistake
2. Send it to Nokia to have the firmware and IMEI reinstalled
3. Throw it away.
Have a read of this Fixya Tip I wrote.
https://www.fixya.com/support/r26230986-phone_asks_puk_code_ask_another_way
..
It is normally recommended you Don't post your IMEI on websites. It is a security code for that phone.
Usually the IMEI number has to be reset by your network provider. It normally cannot be done directly from the handset. Did the handset accept the new sim card. Some handsets can be locked to a specific network and changing network can stop your phone from working.
Never post IMEI numbers in an open forum like this. It is the unique number that identifies your phone from any other phone in the world. Those with malintent can clone a phone with your IMEI and you magically pay for their calls. This website gets 11 million views a year and the site has an excellent search feature!
If the phone was not used 2012, the phone number and phone have been deactivated from the network you used to pay for service. You need to set up a new contract as they expire after about 2 years of inactivity.
..
You normally can't do that. The phone is locked to Tesco in the UK, you can only use their service provider in the UK. The long code is a PUK Lock / SIM Lock code and will lock you out when you put in another SIM Card. If you want to use it in Cyprus. you use a roaming package with Tesco. Or you buy a Cyprus phone.
https://www.fixya.com/support/r26056685-phone_asking_puk_code
..
Contact your service provider if it is the SIM code otherwise if it is the password you use to gain access, either remember it or factory reset your phone.
The unlocking instruction for Nokia 105 is not very complicated, but you need to remember that you have only 3 tries to enter the codes.
If you enter the codes incorrectly more than 3 times, the code counter might get blocked.
Follow these 5 steps to make your Nokia 105 network free
1. Turn on the phone without any sim card
2. Enter the following sequence (#pw+unlock code+1#) on your NOKIA 105 just like a phone number*
* Characters p, w, + will appear after pressing the *(star) symbol a couple of times
4. Press # at the end to confirm the code
5. Message "SIM restriction OFF" should appear.
Your Nokia 105 is now unlocked !!!