Unlock from O2

[Guest SandLake]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question - but I don't know where is

I have an HTC Desire supplied and 'branded' by O2. I am going to America later in the year and would like to buy a local sim to put in my phone, I have done this on previous phones by getting them 'unlocked' but I don't think that is relevant with the Desire

Would installing a ROM be the equivalent thing to do?

I am not impressed with the way O2 drag their feet with the Android upgrades and can't really see anything that they add to the Desire so I would quite like to ditch them anyway.

Am I on the right lines or barking up the wrong tree?

Thanks

[Guest bpivk]

Unlocking is not the same as flashing a new rom.

But you can unlock the phone for free with this tool.

Edited May 9, 2011 by bpivk

[Guest SandLake]

If I run this sim unlock utility, I assume that the phone still 'knows' about O2 and will get OTA updates from them?

[Guest blackcoffee85]

If I run this sim unlock utility, I assume that the phone still 'knows' about O2 and will get OTA updates from them?

Yeah, that's built into the ROM. Sim lock is completely separate.

[Guest trstn]

o2 don't tend to sim lock their phones so I'd try a different networks sim in it first before you shell out for any tools.

[Guest bpivk]

o2 don't tend to sim lock their phones so I'd try a different networks sim in it first before you shell out for any tools.

Shelling out for tools is dumb. Period. Because it's available free of charge on xda.

[Guest trstn]

Shelling out for tools is dumb. Period. Because it's available free of charge on xda.

Didn't think of XDA, but borrowing a mate's sim card to check saves time too :P

[Guest SandLake]

I used the 'free' tool from XDA and while I had a few issues with the instructions, it all worked fine and a spare Orange sim I have now works fine in my O2 phone.

Thanks for the help