Will a o2 SIM work in a tesco locked phone?

bigred · 16 Jan 2011 at 12:06

I've just lost my phone so have been looking for the cheapest iPhone 4, which seems to be on Tesco mobile.

As Tesco mobile is a virtual network that uses the o2 network, would an o2 sim card work in a Tesco locked iPhone 4 without unlocking - as they use the same network?

Thanks,
Alex

EirePlane · 16 Jan 2011 at 15:07

Haven't tried myself, but I imagine that it would work similar to the Virgin/T-Mobile arrangement

A Virgin SIM will work in a T-Mobile locked handset, however a T-Mobile SIM will not work in a Virgin locked handset.

Feel free to berate me if i'm wrong though

MeatLoaf · 16 Jan 2011 at 15:39

No it wont. My ex had a tesco mobile LG Cookie and her o2 wouldnt work until it was unlocked. Might vary tho with different makes of phone

bigred · 16 Jan 2011 at 16:19

Thanks, just ordered a Tesco iPhone... so we'll see in a few days once it arrives. There seems to be conflicting advice about this online, so it does probably depend upon the phone.

Randell Floyd · 17 Jan 2011 at 01:20

Definalty doesn't on a iPhone. Purchased mine from a Apple Store and was lead to believe it would be unlocked. What it really was, is Sim Free, and which ever network you used first, it would then be locked too.

I moved over to Tesco a few months ago, and on instering the new SIM it failed, I thought it being a O2 network it would have been fine, but no. One unlock later and it worked freely.

Jamesbcd · 17 Jan 2011 at 02:23

Its_Me · 17 Jan 2011 at 04:15

Randell Floyd said:
Definalty doesn't on a iPhone. Purchased mine from a Apple Store and was lead to believe it would be unlocked. What it really was, is Sim Free, and which ever network you used first, it would then be locked too.

I moved over to Tesco a few months ago, and on instering the new SIM it failed, I thought it being a O2 network it would have been fine, but no. One unlock later and it worked freely.

Sim free are not locked to any network, they are 'Sim lock free'.
With the Iphone i believe you have to do a restore before you use a different sim, but it certainly does not lock perminently.
If it has, then it was not a sim free phone, but a PAYG on said network.