{"id":4760,"date":"2016-11-01T07:21:53","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T14:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/?p=4760"},"modified":"2023-01-11T15:54:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T23:54:15","slug":"asked-answered-unlocked-gsm-phone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/asked-answered-unlocked-gsm-phone\/","title":{"rendered":"You Asked, We Answered: What is an Unlocked GSM Phone?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bring Your Existing Phone to Consumer Cellular!<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re often asked if you can switch to our service while keeping the cellphone you already have. It certainly makes sense\u2014you want to take advantage of Consumer Cellular\u2019s low prices and fantastic service, but don\u2019t necessarily want to start over with a new phone. After all, you\u2019ve already got everything just the way you like it!<\/p>\n

Every manufacturer is slightly different, so we can\u2019t guarantee that your device will work with our service. However, the good news is that in many cases it is possible to switch your current phone to Consumer Cellular. For the switch to work properly, you\u2019ll need to have what\u2019s called \u201can unlocked GSM phone,\u201d along with one of our free SIM cards<\/a>. Here\u2019s what that means:<\/p>\n

Consumer Cellular operates on what\u2019s called a GSM network. It\u2019s the same type of network used by AT&T and T-Mobile, meaning that you will have the best chance of successfully switching if your phone is from one of those two GSM phone carriers. Other carriers, including Verizon and Sprint, operate on a different type, called a CDMA network. Since most CDMA phones use different technology, they can\u2019t be switched to our service.<\/p>\n

Before you can use your GSM phone with our SIM card, your current carrier has to \u201cunlock\u201d your phone. In most cases, a carrier will unlock your phone only if you\u2019ve already paid for the device in full. They may also provide you with a code to enter into your phone, which will unlock it to work with a different carrier.<\/p>\n

With your GSM phone unlocked, the process of bringing it to Consumer Cellular\u2019s service is completely straightforward and affordable. You sign up for our low-cost monthly service, and we ship our SIM card to you absolutely free! Once the SIM card is inserted into your phone, you can connect to Consumer Cellular and start using your phone on our network. In many cases, that\u2019s all there is to it\u2014the switch has been made, you\u2019ve kept your phone, and you\u2019re now enjoying all the terrific benefits that Consumer Cellular has to offer!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bring Your Existing Phone to Consumer Cellular! We\u2019re often asked if you can switch to our service while keeping the cellphone you already have. It certainly makes sense\u2014you want to take advantage of Consumer Cellular\u2019s low prices and fantastic service, but don\u2019t necessarily want to start over with a new phone. After all, you\u2019ve already […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nYou Asked, We Answered: What is an Unlocked GSM Phone? - Our Blog<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With your GSM phone unlocked, the process of bringing it to Consumer Cellular\u2019s service is completely straightforward and affordable.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/asked-answered-unlocked-gsm-phone\/\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susan Thomas\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"You Asked, We Answered: What is an Unlocked GSM Phone? 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