Global system for mobile communication (GSM) is a cellular network and one of the most popular standards for mobile phones in the globe. A second generation mobile phone system, the GSM has several merits to its credit. Signalling and speech channels are of digital call quality. Easy interoperability is another advantage and network service providers are able to deploy equipment from different vendors without any trouble.
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards are part of many GSM systems; SIM cards are detachable smart cards containing the subscription information and phone book of phone users in many GSM systems. Users can change mobile phones but retain SIM cards to retain all the relevant information. They can also use the same handset combined with a different SIM card to avail the services of some other operator than the ones they were hitherto subscribing to.
The practice of SIM locking is prevalent in some parts of the world, wherein network service providers allow a mobile phone to work on a SIM issued by them or use one single SIM. One can say that they lock the mobile phones that they offer to their subscribers. Each handset has an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number and this number is locked. The account identified by the SIM card is not locked.
As an antithesis, Sim free phones are those which can be used with the services of most network operators. Users are not constrained to use the services of a particular operator while using these phones. In the UK, many of the leading handset manufacturers are coming up with Sim free versions of their popular mobiles. LG KG800 Chocolate, Motorola PEBL U6, Motorola V3i D&G Sim Free Phones, Nokia 5300 XpressMusic are all available as Sim free phones.
One of the major reason for the popularity of these and other models of Sim free phones is that one can use these handsets to make low cost calls from the UK to foreign landlines. This fact makes them all the more in demand among foreign expatriates residing in the UK.
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