What is Blacklisted ?
A phone can be blacklisted (barred from working) for many different reasons, but the most common reason is that it has been reported either lost or stolen! It is only mobile phone networks (Orange, T-Mobile, O2, Vodafone etc.) that have the facility to blacklist a handset.

If you lose or even worse have your phone stolen you should report it to your service provider (your network) immediately! Your service provider can then blacklist the phone so that it can no longer be used to make or receive any calls. They do this by adding your handsets serial number onto a national blacklist database. (Central Equipment Identity Register). Once on the database the handset gets blocked from all calls and becomes useless.

How Does Blacklisting Work ?
Every mobile phone has a unique serial number. This serial number is called the IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity). It can normally be found underneath the phones battery pack, or by pressing *#06# and it is 15 digits long.

Each time your phone is switched on or you attempt to make a call the network systems check the IMEI number of the handset you are using it is then cross referenced with the Central Equipment Identity Register. If the IMEI number of your handset is on the CEIR then the network will either:

• Not send a network signal to your phone.

• Supply a signal but will make all outgoing or incoming calls barred.

How to Check If Your Phone is Blacklisted !
Networks handle blacklisted phones in different ways:
Orange & O2:
If you insert an active orange or O2 sim-card into a blacklisted phone you phone will not show any network signal at all. If the phone is a Nokia then a message "SIM card registration failed" will be displayed on your screen.
Vodafone & T-Mobile
If you insert an active Vodafone or T-Mobile sim-card into a blacklisted phone, the phone will work perfectly until you try to make a call. When you try to make a call from the handset you will hear a sequence of beeps and then the call will be dropped !

Unlocking & Blacklisting, is there any Connection ?
There used to be a connection until all the networks started blacklisting lost and stolen phones and putting the IMEI on the Central Equipment Identity Register.

Changing the IMEI number is illegal and UNLOCKINGNOKIA.NET does not attempt to do this and do we sugest or endorse you try to do so!