- 1). Determine the services that will be compatible with your phone. There are two types of services available in the United States: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). CDMA phones have the information given via the network, while GSM phones require Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards to recognize a network. Contact the new network you will be transferring your phone to in order to see whether it will work.
- 2). Cancel your current cell phone service. Even if you have to pay a termination fee, odds are it will be much cheaper to cancel than to let the service run until the contract can be terminated without a fee An exception would be if the contract is within a few months of having the fee waived.
- 3). Unlock your phone using a phone-unlocking service (see Resources below for an example). You will need your phone number, International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number of the phone (located in the battery pack of the phone) and the name of the previous provider.
- 4). Take the phone to a branch of the cell phone network you want to sign up with and have an employee set up the phone.
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