Mobile number portability

Discodog

According to the COMREG website I can transfer my PAYG from Vodafone to Tesco & keep my number without incurring any cost. However Tesco say that I have to get Vodafone to unlock the phone. Vodafone are demanding that I spend €127 in credit over 6 months before they will unlock.

Any way around this?

aoshea83

That only applies to the SIM card, not the phone itself. you have to top the phone up by a certain amount before they'll unlock it for use on other networks.

Though you could look into getting it unlocked privately in certain shops

Davy

What phone are you trying to unlock?

Discodog

Unlocking the phone is easy. But I want to transfer my Vodafone number onto the Tesco network.

Random

if you can unlock the phone then do it and then port to tesco. you wont need to pay vodafone anything if you can unlock it yourself.

coylemj

Unlocking the phone is not the issue, what appears to be happening is that Vodafone will not release the OP's phone number to Tesco unless he fulfils his part of the contract.

The OP was given a subsidized phone by Vodafone, we know this because the phone is locked to Vodafone. When you get a subsidized handset, you sign a contract which ties you to them until certain criteria are met, this usually involves a certain number of months on billpay, or buying a certain amount of credit if its a PAYG.

The OP is now trying to jump ship before he's met his side of the deal and he wants Vodafone to release the number to a different network, they are saying PFO. It's nothing to do with the SIM and even if he gets the phone unlocked it won't change anything.

Julius Seizure

But he said unlock the phone no, not the number? Because pre pay phones aren't subsidised, and I didn't think you could lock a number

Discodog

I bought a PAYG phone so it wasn't subsidised.

theteal

Discodog wrote: »

However Tesco say that I have to get Vodafone to unlock the phone. Vodafone are demanding that I spend €127 in credit over 6 months before they will unlock.

Any way around this?

Discodog wrote: »

Unlocking the phone is easy. But I want to transfer my Vodafone number onto the Tesco network.

OP, you're PAYG, you can port whenever you want (provided you're not in negative balance), Tesco will look after that part. If getting the phone unblocked without Voda's involvement is easy, just do that, it'll only cost you the €127 if you unlock it through them as it was a subsidised handset.

coylemj

Discodog wrote: »

I bought a PAYG phone so it wasn't subsidised.

So why did you accept a handset that was locked to Vodafone if you were paying full retail price for it?

theteal

Discodog wrote: »

I bought a PAYG phone so it wasn't subsidised.

PAYG phone's bought from networks are subsidised, not by much but still subsidised

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

coylemj

Captain Morgan wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Even if he unlocks the phone, Vodafone will still refuse to release the number, the handset is not the issue, it's the contract he signed with Vodafone.

The OP's phone number is controlled by Vodafone, it's not physically tied to either the handset or the SIM. Until Vodafone agrees to release it, he cannot port it to any other network.

If I'm wrong 'in so many parts', would you mind telling us why anyone would accept a network-locked phone when they are paying full retail price for the handset? If they are not paying full retail price then the handset is subsidized in which case the network is entitled to hold the customer to a contract based on duration (billpay) or spend(PAYG).

theteal

coylemj wrote: »

Even if he unlocks the phone, Vodafone will still refuse to release the number, the handset is not the issue, it's the contract he signed with Vodafone.

Discodog wrote: »

According to the COMREG website I can transfer my PAYG from Vodafone to Tesco & keep my number without incurring any cost.

he signed no contract, it's PAYG.

i've been out of the game for quite a while but from what i remember the €127 is the minimum credit spend required by voda before they will issue an unlock code for a subsidised PAYG handset. this can be bypassed by getting it unlocked in any unlocking shop at a fraction of that figure. Once that's done, go to tesco and they'll port the msisdn.

This really is not a substantial issue and I'm a bit surprised this thread is so long.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Discodog

The COMREG site is very clear that there should be no charges or costs for transferring your number. I will unlock the phone & then see if Tesco will port the number.

whiterebel

Discodog wrote: »

The COMREG site is very clear that there should be no charges or costs for transferring your number. I will unlock the phone & then see if Tesco will port the number.

Nobody is saying their is a cost to port your number. There is a cost to be paid before VF will unlock your phone. There is a difference.

jordainius

coylemj wrote: »

If I'm wrong 'in so many parts', would you mind telling us why anyone would accept a network-locked phone when they are paying full retail price for the handset? If they are not paying full retail price then the handset is subsidized in which case the network is entitled to hold the customer to a contract based on duration (billpay) or spend(PAYG).

Ever wondered why phones are more expensive on prepay than billpay? Full price on prepay, subsidised on billpay as an incentive to sign a contract.

Networks are entitled to impose restrictions on unlocking a handset. Under EU law; they are not entitled to prevent someone from porting to another network. (Unless of course the customer is a billpay customer still under contract, in which case that customer has to pay up the remainder of their contract). Once more for clarity though; there are NO contracts on prepay.

Everything Captain Morgan said is spot on, your misinformation (i.e. Vodafone are entitled to break EU law) is of no use to the OP.

blaz

Discodog wrote: »

The COMREG site is very clear that there should be no charges or costs for transferring your number. I will unlock the phone & then see if Tesco will port the number.

You are very confused. Unlocking the phone and transferring your number are two completely unrelated things. You can transfer your number to Tesco whenever you want, but you won't be able to use your old phone on Tesco, unless you get it unlocked (by Vodafone or a phone shop). The phone number is not tied to the phone (maybe that's what is confusing you?).