I was recently in Europe and one way to make cheap calls is to get a prepaid SIM card from a local European carrier. Now, to use the prepaid SIM card you must have an unlocked GSM phone. Of course, US carriers make this process difficult by only selling locked GSM phones that work only with their service.

I emailed Cingular and asked if they would unlock my phone. The service rep told me they would and ask me to send the IMEI number for my phone. To get your IMEI number on a Cingular phone type in “*#06#” and press talk/enter. The number should be displayed. Note: I was using a Mortorola RAZR but I think this will work on any Cingular phone. Send the IMEI code back to Cingular and they will send you the unlock code in 5-7 business days. To unlock the phone you must insert a SIM card from a carrier other than Cingular and you will be prompted for the unlock code.

The whole policy of looking phones is just moronic in my opinion but kudos to Cingular support for helping get my phone unlocked. The next time I am in Europe, I will now be able to make some cheap calls.