How blacklisting works. To Blacklist a phone the carrier uses the phones IMEI number. This is a unique number given to each phone that identifies only that phone. They place this number into a data base. Once in the data base any carrier/network that shares the data base will Block that IMEI number (phone) from being able to use their Network.
Will a unlocked phone work if it is Blacklisted?
By unlocking a phone you are removing the lock on the sim card. This means if the phone is locked it will only accept the sim card of the carrier it is locked to all other sim cards will come up as invalid sim card and the phone will not be able to use them. Once unlocked this restriction is removed allowing the phone to recognize all GSM sim cards. After being unlocked the phone has the ability to use any sim card, however if blacklisted the phone will be able to recognize the blacklist carriers sim card but the carrier will block the phone from using their network.
Why should I unlock a blacklisted phone?
Certain areas share a blacklist data base, but not a carriers will. Example a phone that is blacklisted in the USA will not be allowed to used (Blocked) by all carriers in the USA. This is because USA/and Mexico carriers share the same data base.(USA and Mexico Agreement) But carriers outside of the USA do not share the data base so the phone will work outside of the USA. So by unlocking your phone you will increase it’s resell value.You will now be able to sell it or give to someone outside of the USA and they will have a fully functional phone.
How do I get my phone off the Blacklist?
Once a phone has been Blacklisted, the way to have it removed from the Blacklist data base is to have the original phone owner contact the carrier that has put the phone on the Blacklist or use a Cleaning service. If the phone was lost or stolen the original owner can tell the carrier to remove from Blacklist if unpaid bill the owner will have to make arrangements with the carrier before they will remove from Blacklist. There are some service’s that will remove your IMEI number from the Blacklist data base. If a cleaning service is available for your device, Make sure to read full description of service. We currently offer Cleaning service’s for USA At&t T-Mobile and Verizon.
Some of the cleaning service’s may have limitations and if not followed device may be relisted in blacklist data base.
To unlock a Blacklisted Phone use our Premium service’s They will unlock a phone no matter its status.
See IMEI Blacklist Cleaning service’s here
See Unlock service’s here
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Please clarify more. If a phone is blacklisted, can it be used on another network. Say it was using Mtn Network. If it is blacklisted can it be used Cell C, or Vodacom?
http://pmg-assets.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/docs/2002/appendices/021105phones.htm please see reference link. It appears the networks in your area do what is called grey listing. See reference link. Thanks
In general if the IMEI is blacklisted it will not work on any network that shares that data base. If the network does not share the data base the IMEI is blacklisted in then the phone(IMEI) will work on their network if the phones hardware is compatible and sim is unlocked. Do to the large number of different data bases and changing laws it is best to check with your network as to which data base they use and what other networks share that data base.