Forum Discussion
Unlocking an ancient phone: Is it possible?
Hola.
Some time ago, I was handed a really old T-Mobile phone by a family member. Specifically, a Nokia 6010 from 2004. It neither had a SIM card nor a battery, both I was able to procure (I had an old Cingular (now AT&T) SIM card lying around and bought a battery on eBay). Of course, the phone was/is still locked to T-Mobile's network, and with the SIM inserted, asks for an unlock code.
Not being a T-Mobile customer, and based on other posts I've seen here, I would assume that unlocking will not be possible. Then again, I'm not sure, considering the phone hasn't been used since the early 2000s, and that it predates T-Mobile's current unlocking policy by many, many years.
Even if the device was SIM unlocked. It would not work on any US carrier due to the device not supporting VoLTE, which is required to make and receive calls Not being a T-Mobile customer or the original owner of the device pretty much rules out getting it SIM unlocked by T-Mobile. You could try a cellphone repair shop in your area to see if they can SIM unlock it for a fee.
syaoran wrote:
Even if the device was SIM unlocked. It would not work on any US carrier due to the device not supporting VoLTE, which is required to make and receive calls Not being a T-Mobile customer or the original owner of the device pretty much rules out getting it SIM unlocked by T-Mobile. You could try a cellphone repair shop in your area to see if they can SIM unlock it for a fee.
It can still work on T-Mobile 2G GSM.
syaoran wrote:
Even if the device was SIM unlocked. It would not work on any US carrier due to the device not supporting VoLTE, which is required to make and receive calls Not being a T-Mobile customer or the original owner of the device pretty much rules out getting it SIM unlocked by T-Mobile. You could try a cellphone repair shop in your area to see if they can SIM unlock it for a fee.
Thank you for clarifying that for me!
Even if the device was SIM unlocked. It would not work on any US carrier due to the device not supporting VoLTE, which is required to make and receive calls Not being a T-Mobile customer or the original owner of the device pretty much rules out getting it SIM unlocked by T-Mobile. You could try a cellphone repair shop in your area to see if they can SIM unlock it for a fee.
