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75-434: The company was renamed from Telefónica O2 Germany to Telefónica Germany on 1 April 2011 following the completion of a merger with HanseNet. Telefónica Germany purchased E-Plus on 1 October 2014, unifying the business under O 2 brand on 3 February 2016. Telefónica Germany's main competitors are 1&1 Mobilfunk , Telekom Deutschland ( Deutsche Telekom 's German private customer unit) and Vodafone . Telefónica Germany

150-406: A random number in the handset's firmware that is retained by the manufacturer and the network on whose behalf the lock was applied. These handsets can still be unlocked by online services that have access to either inside people with the manufacturer or with the telecom networks, or they need to be connected to the computer with a cable where specific software will bypass the security and SIM-unlock

225-941: A 124.3% penetration rate according to the CRC annual report for 2023. The regulatory authority for Telecommunication in Bulgaria is the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC). (in millions) Croatia has 4,404,652 subscribers in total, or a 102.8% penetration rate. (Q4 2019) The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Croatia is the Hrvatska agencija za poštu i elektronicke komunikacije (website available in Croatian and English language). 700/3400-3800 MHz - 5G NR eSIM (postpaid only) Cyprus has 1,392,480 subscribers in total, or

300-848: A 126% penetration rate (population 48,652) (2020). SIM lock A SIM lock , simlock , network lock , carrier lock or ( master ) subsidy lock is a technical restriction built into GSM and CDMA mobile phones by mobile phone manufacturers for use by service providers to restrict the use of these phones to specific countries and/or networks. This is in contrast to a phone (retrospectively called SIM-free or unlocked ) that does not impose any SIM restrictions. Generally phones can be locked to accept only SIM cards with certain International Mobile Subscriber Identities (IMSIs); IMSIs may be restricted by: Additionally, some phones, especially Nokia phones, are locked by group IDs (GIDs), restricting them to

375-606: A 146% penetration rate (Q1 2014) In 2011, Denmark liquidated IT- og Telestyrelsen , it's telecommunications regulator. Former regulator's tasks are divided among four institutions: (shares network with Telia) 3500 MHz - 5G NR (shares network with Telenor) Estonia has 2.524 million subscribers in total, or a 188% penetration rate (December 2008). (formerly EMT ) 3G (UMTS, HSPA) has been shut down in 2023 * shutdown beginning 05.2024 to 11.2024 (formerly Q-GSM ) 700/3500 MHz - 5G NR The Faroe Islands have 61,388 subscribers, or

450-546: A 151.0% penetration rate (Q4 2014). The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Austria is the Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications (RTR). ( roams on 3 's UMTS network where no UMTS ) 800/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz LTE , LTE-A VoLTE , VoWiFi 700/3500 MHz 5G NR In December 2005, Azerbaijan had 2 million subscribers in total,

525-530: A 151.7% penetration rate (excludes Northern Cyprus) (Q4 2022). The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus) is OCECPR (Office of the Commissioner of Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation). The Czech Republic has 16.121 million subscribers in total, or a 151% penetration rate (December 2019). Denmark has 8.208 million subscribers in total, or

600-703: A 25% penetration rate. In 2014, Azerbaijan had over 10 million subscribers in total, or a 130% penetration rate. Belarus has 12.0 million subscribers in total, or a 126% penetration rate in Q4 of 2020. The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Belarus is the Ministry of Communications and Informatization. Belgium has 13.89 million subscribers in total, or a 124% penetration rate (Q4 2014). The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Belgium

675-455: A SIM lock. Phones sold with a contract stipulating monthly payments are not typically locked (as the monthly payments are due no matter what network the phone is used on). Also, most providers will unlock the phone on demand. Usually a fee is charged during the first two years after purchase; afterwards the unlocking is free. As of 2022, new phones are rarely distributed with a SIM lock; old phones however may still be locked. In Honduras , there

750-402: A circuit board). Such access may be required to modify initialization software used for booting . A hardlocked phone is one in which a telecom provider has modified the firmware on the phone to make it impossible to manually enter the unlock codes in any way. The only solution to SIM-unlock such a phone is to change the firmware to a firmware which has not been modified by any telecom provider,

825-557: A cloud service for Hosted Exchange . In December 2018, Telefónica Deutschland started to test the 5G on 5 sites in Berlin, in a partnership with Nokia . In December 2019 the company announced the rollout of the 5G Network, starting with Berlin , Hamburg , Munich , Cologne , and Frankfurt . Telefónica Deutschland is using Huawei and Nokia technology on the mobile radio sites. List of mobile network operators of Europe#Germany A mobile network operator , also known as

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900-533: A device will vary depending on the network it is locked to and the handset model itself, as each unlock code is unique to each individual handset. There are online services that will provide an IMEI unlocking service for DCT4 and DCT3 Nokia mobile phones. This method of unlock requires the user to know which carrier the mobile phone is locked to, and also needs to provide an IMEI. Generally, older model Nokia unlock codes are free and instantly retrievable by these services. The unlock codes retrieved must be entered into

975-401: A discount to customers in exchange for a contract to pay for the use of the network for a specified time period, usually between one and three years. This business model allows the company to recoup the cost of the phone over the life of the contract. Such discounts are worth up to several hundred US dollars . If the phones were not locked, users might sign a contract with one company, get

1050-524: A fee for removing the SIM lock prior from six-month to the three-month deadline. In Germany , there does not appear to be any effective law regulating SIM locking. For example, the iPhone was initially offered for sale in Germany exclusively through T-Mobile, and it was locked to T-Mobile's network. They began to provide unlocking codes for that phone after they were sued by Vodafone and a temporary injunction

1125-401: A handset is to be able to use it with a different SIM card. Consumers may wish to continue using their previous provider with a new handset or when traveling abroad they may wish to connect to a foreign network with a prepaid subscription . Nevertheless, the fundamental principle of GSM and its successors, is open interfaces which encourage competition among multiple vendors. This is the reason

1200-399: A handset provide their IMEI number and sometimes also country and operator details to the company, either via email or a website. The company will then provide the unlock code for the handset. For some brands such as Nokia and Samsung various services also offer special remote-unlocking software with instructions, where a cable is needed to remove the SIM lock at home. Such companies may email

1275-446: A higher market value, even more so if they are debranded. Debranding involves reflashing or replacing the firmware to remove the operator logo or any limitations or customizations that have been imposed on the handset by the operator, and is usually accomplished with software designed for a particular handset model, however, most smart-phones can be debranded and unlocked solely with the use of special software. The main reason to unlock

1350-436: A legal obligation to provide unlock codes for certain handsets or in certain countries. In some cases, a SIM-locked handset is sold at a substantially lower price than an unlocked one, because the service provider expects income through its service. SIM locks are employed on cheaper ( pay-as-you-go ) handsets, while discounts on more expensive handsets require a subscription that provides guaranteed income. Unlocked handsets have

1425-401: A locked handset will display a message if a restricted SIM is used, requesting the unlock code. On recent phone models running Android software, the phone will display a message saying “SIM network unlock PIN” or “Enter Network Lock Control Key” if network locked. Windows phones will display the message, “This SIM card can only be used on specific networks. Contact your customer service center for

1500-530: A minority shareholder of E-Plus, America Movil SAB, but this was overcome in August 2013. In mid-2014, the European Commission approved the sale of Dutch telco provider KPN's German subsidiary, E-Plus, subject to certain requirements being met. These included the transfer of 30% of network capacity and certain assets among other assurances. In exchange, KPN received €8.6 billion (€5 billion of which

1575-446: A mobile operator who encouraged the unlocking of phones by providing links to free/cheap unlocking services. T-Mobile Austria charges 150 euros to unlock the iPhone for prepaid subscribers and in contract subscribers. For subscribers who have finished their 2-year iPhone contract, T-Mobile Austria charges 50 euros to unlock the iPhone. In Australia , carriers can choose whether to SIM/Network Lock handsets or not, however in practice,

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1650-398: A mobile phone is, in fact, a combination of a phone and the subscriber identity module (SIM). Locking the phone to a network is not much different from having the SIM built into the mobile phone. Network operators in many industrialized countries are not bound by law to give the phone unlocking code to subscribers even after the expiry of the contract period. A practice known as box breaking

1725-402: A one way hash or trapdoor function . Sometimes big telecom providers change the original factory unlock codes as an extra layer of security against unlocking services. For various big brands such as Samsung and Motorola there is no algorithm but just a random code generator where the unlock codes are programmed in the phone itself and then saved in a big database managed by the manufacturer. For

1800-501: A single Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) of a certain operator. Most mobile phones can be unlocked to work with any GSM network provider, but the phone may still display the original branding and may not support features of the new carrier. Besides the locking, phones may also have firmware installed on them which is specific to the network provider. For example, a Vodafone or Telstra branded phone in Australia will display

1875-426: A so-called "unbranded firmware". Handset manufacturers have economic incentives both to strengthen SIM lock security (which placates network providers and enables exclusivity deals) and to weaken it (broadening a handset's appeal to customers who are not interested in the service provider that offers it). Also, making it too difficult to unlock a handset might make it less appealing to network service providers who have

1950-575: A wireless service provider, wireless carrier, cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a provider of wireless communication services. The main mobile network operators in Europe are listed below. Albania as per has 3.66 million subscribers, of whom 2.49 million are active users (101% penetration rate) (Q1 2021). Active user is one who has communicated in the last three months. The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Albania

2025-470: Is a general law applicable to all consumer relations engaged in the national territory and provided by natural or legal persons, public or private. This law is called "Ley de Proteccion al Consumidor" or "Consumer Protection Act of Honduras", approved by Legislative Decree No.24-2008, and it regulates the activities of any goods and services providers stating the principles that they must follow in order to operate in this country. Article 20 of this law states

2100-468: Is a part, was acquired by Spanish telecoms giant, Telefónica . Telefónica additionally took over O2's subsidiaries in Great Britain and Ireland for a total of £17.7 billion as part of its expansion strategy into Europe. As a new subsidiary of Telefónica, Telefónica O2 Germany rebranded as Telefónica O2 Germany GmbH in 2008. In 2010, Telefónica O2 Germany merged with HanseNet. The merged company

2175-526: Is common in the United Kingdom and other markets. This involves purchasing subsidized handsets (usually pay-as-you-go) from retail stores, unlocking the phones, and then selling them (often abroad) for a higher price than the subsidised retail price. The SIM card that came with the handset is then either thrown away, sold, or used elsewhere. This practice is legal in the UK and provides a de facto limit to

2250-456: Is purchased under such tie-in sales may be SIM-locked. The SIM lock must be removed free of charge at the conclusion of the tie-in contract, within a maximum duration of 2 years. In 2008, the Finnish government was preparing to extend the exception, and at the same time, was considering reducing the duration of tie-in contracts to one year. In France , SIM locks are not prohibited. However,

2325-615: Is rarely performed except in limited cases. Almost all handsets available on the Australian market have no such restriction. One law professor, Dale Clapperton, gave a talk stating that bundling iPhone and mobile phone service could be violating the Trade Practices Act. However, no other legal professional or academic has come out in support of this viewpoint. This also doesn't address SIM locking per se , only as applied to subsidised iPhone purchases, and persistence of

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2400-490: Is the AKEP . In 2022 4iG group, owning ONE Telecommunications, acquired a majority stake of ALBtelecom Mobile , 80.27%, to a network merger in 2023. LTE , LTE-A VoLTE Andorra has 88,109 mobile subscribers or about 113.63% mobile penetration. Armenia has 3.5 million subscribers in total, and a 120% penetration rate. Austria has 13.0 million assigned numbers (i.e. 2.0 2G, 10.8 3G and 0.1 4G SIM cards), or

2475-877: Is the Belgian Institute for Postal services and Telecommunications (BIPT). In December 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina had 3.811 million subscribers in total, or a 115% penetration rate. The regulatory authority for telecommunication in Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Communications Regulatory Agency (Regulatorna agencija za komunikacije, RAK). (formerly GSM-BIH ) VoLTE , ViLTE , eSIM (postpaid only) 5G NR (in development) (formerly MOBI'S) VoLTE , ViLTE , eSIM (postpaid only) (formerly HTmobile) VoLTE , ViLTE , eSIM (postpaid only) 5G NR (in development) Bulgaria has 8 014 473 subscribers in total, or

2550-636: The European Union (EU) each have their own legislation on SIM locking, but must comply with the EU Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Directive 2005/29/EC of 2005). As noted above, this directive has been successfully applied in Belgium to overturn that country's previous ban on bundling phones with contracts. However, carriers in many countries in the EU do not necessarily associate a phone's SIM lock status to

2625-534: The 3G and 4G networks of other carriers even though such phones are never locked. Starting October 1, 2011, all the mobile telephone services providers, must sell to all users unlocked devices and provide free of charge support to unlock previously sold devices. This regulation was ordered to enable mobile number portability and to facilitate the reduction on costs ordered simultaneously. Since 1 January 2012, newly sold phones must be unlocked. Previously bought locked phones had to be unlocked for free. The regulation

2700-451: The Apple iPhone 5c , 6 and newer, Motorola's G4, G5, X Pure, Samsung's Galaxy S6, S7, S8 smart phones, mostly phones based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset or radio. In some jurisdictions, such as Canada , Chile , China , Israel , and Singapore , it is illegal for providers to sell SIM locked devices. In other countries, carriers may not be required to unlock devices or may require

2775-519: The Commission's objections. In June 2020, Telefónica announced the sale of 10,100 mobile sites to Telxius for € 1.5 billion. Telefónica Germany operates second, third and fourth generation mobile networks, allowing customers to use GPRS, EDGE, UMTS up to HSPA+ and LTE for data connections. Most of O2 plans are available both in a pre- and post-paid version, including the all-in-one-flatrates called o2 o and o2 on for enterprise customers. Beside

2850-508: The European Commission would commence proceedings against Belgium. This leaves Canada, China, Singapore, and Israel as the only countries in the world that forbid SIM locking and contract/phone bundling outright. Chile initiated a ban as of January 1, 2012. In Brazil , SIM locks are not prohibited. However, the mobile carrier must inform the consumer of the existence of a SIM lock. Anatel, Brazil's telecom regulator, requires

2925-525: The German company included potential fines or a reversal of the merger. Investigations found that Telefónica Germany did not offer competitors the "best prices” for access to their 4G network. The European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, urged full compliance with commitments made in merger decisions. Telefónica Germany responded that they acted in full compliance with the remedy in response to

3000-546: The activation process when sold to a customer), citing increases in theft from store stocks since the implementation of the prohibition. Under the original version of the Wireless Code implemented 2013, carriers were required to offer unlocks no later than 90 calendar days from the start of a contract for subsidized devices, or immediately upon purchase of an unsubsidized device. The Code, however, did not expressly prohibit carriers from charging an unlock fee. Prior to

3075-489: The ban on phone locking. For example, an iPhone 6 was designed to be capable of supporting LTE FDD, LTE TD, CDMA, and WCDMA technologies but China Mobile reached a deal with Apple to create a special model for China Mobile in addition to the off-contract retail model sold by Apple and third party vendors with the capability to support LTE FDD, CDMA, WCDMA, which are the technologies not used by China Mobile, disabled, effectively making such special contract model incompatible with

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3150-460: The carrier is obliged by law to unlock the phone free of charge. But the consumer needs to contact the original supplier, and provide the IMEI and original phone number for which the phone was sold. Although there is no specific law preventing SIM locking, as of December 2009 Ecuador 's two biggest carriers, Porta and Movistar , unlock phones previously sold by them, without charge. Countries in

3225-621: The carrier to unlock free of charge the mobile phone if required by the user. After this regulation most telecom operators started voluntarily unlocking the devices as soon as it was purchased so one could leave the store with an unlocked phone. Under revisions to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Wireless Code of Conduct effective 1 December 2017, all new devices must be sold unlocked, and carriers must offer to unlock phones purchased prior to this date free of charge. Fees may be required if

3300-432: The consumer to pay a fee for unlocking. Unlocking the phone, however, is almost universally legal. Additionally, it is often legal for carriers to force SIM locks for certain amounts of time, varying by region. A handset can be unlocked by entering a code provided by the network operator. Alternative mechanisms include software running on the handset or a computer attached to the handset, hardware devices that connect to

3375-426: The core business, Telefónica Germany is one of the largest retailers for mobile phones and tablets without a SIM lock . It was the first operator offering both Apple's iPhone 4 and the iPad 2 . Also, Telefónica Germany offers hosting services for large and midsized companies, serving some well-known portals including Spiegel Online and Sevenload . Together with Microsoft and Visionapp , Telefónica Germany provides

3450-604: The customer was not under a contract or prepaid plan with the carrier. After the implementation of this rule, Bell Canada initially refused to offer unlocks for users who were not customers of the carrier (in contrast to Rogers and Telus ), but reversed course in February 2018 due to public backlash. In a filing to the CRTC in August 2018, Bell also stated that it had begun to reimplement SIM locks on unsold phones as an anti-theft and safety measure (the phones are unlocked during

3525-487: The customer's tie-in contract status. In Finland , carriers are not allowed to sell SIM-locked GSM phones, nor are they allowed to offer tie-in sales on GSM equipment. Under Finnish law, a tie-in sale is defined as selling the equipment for a discounted price contingent on the consumer also acquiring a new service contract from the seller. Under the terms of a provisional exception, valid from 2006 until 2009, tie-in sales were permitted with 3G handsets, and 3G equipment which

3600-415: The discounted phone, then stop paying the monthly bill (thus breaking the contract) and start using the phone on another network or even sell the phone for a profit. SIM locking curbs this by prohibiting change of network (using a new SIM). In some countries, SIM locking is very common if subsidized phones are sold with prepaid contracts. It is important to note, however, that the technology associated with

3675-487: The extent to which networks are willing to subsidize pay-as-you-go handsets. While the act of box breaking is legal, some businesses are also engaging in illegal activities such as exporting the box-broken phones to other countries, to sell as grey market goods without paying import duties (known as Carousel Fraud ) or substituting counterfeit batteries and chargers. Some companies offer an online unlocking service. This service requires that individuals who wish to unlock

3750-400: The handset or over-the-air by the carrier. Usually the unlock process is permanent. The code required to remove all locks from a phone is referred to as the master code , network code key , or multilock code . If the phone is network locked it will typically display one of the following messages: SIM network PIN blocked, Enter lock PIN. There can also be multiple levels of locks placed on

3825-479: The introduction of the Wireless Code, New Democratic Party MP Bruce Hyer first attempted to mandate SIM unlocking at the end of cell phone contracts when he introduced a private member's bill entitled the Cell Phone Freedom Act in 2010. The act would not have banned SIM locking but would have required wireless carriers to unlock phones at no charge at the end of a cell phone contract. The bill

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3900-472: The lock beyond the contractual period. Until 2007, Belgium had laws prohibiting bundling, but they were challenged as violating European Directive 2005/29/EC The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive . On April 23, 2009, the European Court of Justice ruled against Belgium and struck down Belgium's anti-bundling law. The Belgian government was given until May 2009 to change the law, failing which

3975-409: The mobile operator must inform the consumer of the existence of a SIM lock, and the subscriber has the right to request that the lock be removed at any time. No later than three months after the subscription of the contract, the mobile operator must "systematically and free of charge" provide the subscriber with a procedure to deactivate the SIM lock. Proposal to shorten the time that operators may charge

4050-441: The mobile phone using the keypad. For DCT4 and DCT3 Nokia , unlock codes consist of a "#" key, followed by "pw+", 10 (DCT3) or 15 (DCT4) digits, "+", and another number ranging from 1-7, and finally ends with a "#". Depending on the carrier which the phone is locked to, only some codes will work with the mobile phone. Most phones respond to the unlock codes ending in +1# or +7#, however some phones are configured to allow only one of

4125-516: The other brands where the unlock codes are still based on algorithms those are based on the IMEI number and the MCC code and have been reverse-engineered , stolen or leaked. Some handsets can be unlocked using software that generates an unlock code from an IMEI number and country and operator details using the algorithm specific to the handset. Other manufacturers have taken a more cautious approach, and embed

4200-402: The period of SIM locking and the cost of obtaining unlocking codes. In Andorra , the state-owned communications mobile company Mobiland does not sell SIM-locked phones. As there is no competition, consumers usually buy standard mobile phones that are not locked to any specific carrier. In Austria , unlocking is allowed at any time by the owner of the device. A lawsuit was decided in favor of

4275-422: The phone by networks, which block the use of other networks' SIM cards. These are usually referred to as "Network Control Key" (NCK) and "Service Provider Control Key" (SPCK), additionally, a Regional lock exists which is specific to Europe and it is called "Region Control Key" (RGCK). These locks can be removed using the corresponding unlock codes, which are unique to each phone depending on its IMEI. Typically,

4350-496: The phone must be compatible with the technology being used by the network carrier. A GSM cell phone will only work with a GSM carrier and will not work on a CDMA network provider. Likewise, a CDMA cell phone will only work with a CDMA carrier and will not work on a GSM network provider. Note that newer (2013+) high end mobile phones are capable of supporting both CDMA and GSM technologies, allowing customers to use their mobile devices on any network. Examples of these mobile devices are

4425-403: The phone under a contract or not. However, since all three Chinese carriers each uses a different network technology after the adoption of 3G, carriers started to ask phone manufacturers to disable support for network technologies not used by such carrier even if the phone has been originally designed to be capable of supporting those network technologies. Such a move does not result in violation of

4500-407: The phone. Sometimes this is done by advanced calculations to bypass the security the official way and other times using exploits or overwriting parts of the firmware where the lock status is kept, and often even recover a phone that is bricked or completely damaged in the software sense. Most handsets have security measures built into their firmware that protects them from repeated attempts to guess

4575-404: The process, but to use a phone from outside the country, each user has to register it. IMEI Registration . In Croatia , for devices bought on contract, the mobile operator must provide the unlock code on the user's request free of charge. Such request can be made immediately after buying the phone, and the operator has a 15-day period to fulfill the request. For devices bought on a prepaid plan,

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4650-401: The relevant logo and may only support features provided by that network (e.g. Vodafone Live!). This firmware is installed by the service provider and is separate from the locking mechanism. Most phones can be unbranded by reflashing a different firmware version, a procedure recommended for advanced users only. The reason many network providers SIM lock their phones is that they offer phones at

4725-442: The seven codes to work. The following is an example of a DCT4/DCT3 unlock code: DCT4 and DCT3 Nokia will only allow a maximum of five unlock attempts using the unlock code method. After five incorrect codes have been inputted, the phone will not allow the user to try any more codes (even if it is correct) and will require the owner to try other unlock methods. Many countries listed below have some form of SIM-locking laws specifying

4800-510: The transition, in March 2013, Telefónica Germany was incorporated into the TecDAX stock exchange index. In July of the same year, media reports stated that the company had proposed a merger with its rival, E-Plus, a German subsidiary of Royal KPN NV . The merger created the largest mobile phone provider in Germany in terms of network connections. The planned merger initially received resistance from

4875-519: The unlock code. After entering more than a certain number of incorrect codes the phone becomes frozen . This is a state where the phone will display a security message that the phone needs a service. Older phones could no longer be used at all at this point, however modern smartphones often keep working with the original SIM but require extra work to then unlock them correctly. In extreme situations physical access to internal hardware via in-circuit debugging may be utilised (for example, via JTAG headers on

4950-428: The unlock code”. Other handsets may display different messages such as "Enter special code" or "Enter unlocking code," or in some cases the handset will simply display a message stating that it is locked. Once a valid code is entered, the handset will display "Network unlocked” or “Network unlock successful”. The unlock code is verified by the handset and is generated by the manufacturer, typically by an algorithm such as

5025-406: The unlocking code or software which will remotely unlock the device. Some companies also offer unlocking services that require sending the handset's IMEI number. Other companies sell unlocking hardware, including devices which fit between the SIM card and the phone to spoof the original network identifier during registration and devices to read and edit the handset's firmware. The pricing for unlocking

5100-417: The user has to wait at least 12 months before submitting such request. The carrier can choose to bind contracts up to 6 months from the contract's start. Many of the carriers choose not to lock the phones. Only Hi3G ("3") lock their phones, but can only do so for six months. If the phone needs to be unlocked within the first six months, the carrier can charge DKK 500 (~ €67) for the unlock. After six months,

5175-418: Was cash). In September 2014, Telefónica Germany announced the sale of €3.62 billion in new stock to help finance the acquisition of its competitor E-Plus from KPN . As part of the purchase, Telefónica reduced its stake in its subsidiary to 62.1%. In 2019, the European Commission accused Telefónica Germany of breaching the commitments it made when acquiring E-Plus in 2013. The statement of objections sent to

5250-464: Was founded in 1995 as Viag Interkom, as a joint venture between British Telecommunications (45%), VIAG (45%) and Telenor (10%). Viag Interkom was awarded Germany's second GSM-1800 (also known as E-Netz ( de ; lit. E-Network in Germany) license in February 1997 and began operations on 1 February 1998 in eight cities. In 2001, BT acquired VIAGs remaining shares for €11.4 billion, and the company

5325-462: Was introduced in two sessions of parliament but failed to pass either time. Under a regulation enacted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, locking phones to a specific carrier is prohibited if other carriers are also using the same type of network technology. Therefore, all phones approved to be sold in China are never locked to begin with regardless of whether the consumer purchased

5400-467: Was issued requiring T-Mobile to do so. Vodafone's injunction was later overturned, and the iPhone is again available exclusively locked to T-Mobile. While T-Mobile Germany told the court that they would unlock the iPhone after the contract, they were doing it voluntarily. While SIM locking is legal, a court ruled in 2012 that providers must clearly inform potential customers about the SIM lock. As of 2015, usually only prepaid mobile phones are sold with

5475-419: Was put in place in order to implement mobile number portability . However, the law only requires phones to be usable with all Chilean providers. It does not cover international unlocking for use outside Chile, so users may have to pay for the unlocking service. A new related issue is present since 23 September 2017, every IMEI have to be registered so the phone works in the country. For local carriers, they do

5550-477: Was renamed BT Germany, it became a part of BT Wireless, a group of subsidiary companies owned by BT. BT Wireless demerged from BT in 2001 to form mmO2 plc and Viag Interkom was relaunched as O2 Germany. Since 2004, the so called Uptown Munich is O2's German headquarters. The 38-story highrise is the tallest building in Munich , designed by architect Christoph Ingenhoven . In 2005, mmO2 plc. of which O2 Germany

5625-422: Was renamed to Telefónica Germany. In a bid to boost revenues of up to €1.68 billion earmarked to flow into debt reduction, Telefónica announced its subsidiary, Telefónica O2 Germany, would be making an IPO (initial public offering). The IPO would involve the sale of a minority stake (23%) of the subsidiary on the 30 October, 2012, prior to which point they had proceeded through a change in legal form. Following

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