Unlocking a phone from abroad?

Question

Mobile devices

I think everyone knows that phones abroad have long been sold with a contract, but I'm interested in the question:
How realistic is it to buy a phone for a penny abroad, and unlock it in Russia (naturally in an illegal way, but cheaper)?

Answer 1

I bought an HD2 Tmobile US, for another $15 I bought an unlock code on eBay. And a friend bought an Iphone 4 with radio 2.10.04 and as a result, he sits with an Ipod 4 for half a year, because. There is no normal unlock for this radio. In general, you can buy, but before buying, check the following nuances:
1. Firmware version and radio device.
2. Is it possible to unlock for them.
3. Who will undertake to do this (with a guarantee or not).
I don’t know for sure about the legality of the operation, but in Russia, in principle, the sale of gray phones is prohibited, but since you are buying for yourself, I can’t say anything.

Answer 2

I bought myself a san francisco
habrahabr.ru/blogs/android/115492/
Unlocking without problems
Nimble and good, but damn it, the gsm network works, once I ruled the antenna it helped for the evening, moved back to the HTC, a little later I will experiment with it.
It seems to work well for the rest.

Answer 3

You can find someone who officially unlocks the device in the states through an operator. For example, T-Mobile allows one phone to be unlocked every three months (per line). Others, it seems, also have corresponding procedures. To unlock, you only need IMEI - you call, say the number and model of the device, they send you a description of the unlock procedure and the necessary codes with soap.

Answer 4

Something tells me it's illegal. Dmitry Medvedev did not seem to unlock the iPhone given to him by Steve Jobs.

Answer 5

The main problem is the execution of the contract. this is done according to the documents - no one will issue a phone (3 years contract) and sell it.
There is an option to draw up a contract with its subsequent termination and payment of a penalty, which in turn turns out to be more profitable than just buying the same device, but this is not $ 15)