Why so many lock codes?

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Bert Hyman - 23 Jun 2007 03:07 GMT

Why do GSM phones have so many different lock codes?

Of course there's the subsidy lock and PUK, but then there's the SIM PIN
and SIM PIN2, the lock code (often confused with the subsidy lock or SIM
PIN) and then the security code.

Everything I've read suggests that the SIM PIN and "lock code" are
intended to be used for the same thing, so why have both?

What were they thinking?

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Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN bert@iphouse.com

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Simon Templar - 23 Jun 2007 06:31 GMT

> Why do GSM phones have so many different lock codes?

<SNIP>

> Everything I've read suggests that the SIM PIN and "lock code" are
> intended to be used for the same thing, so why have both?

<SNIP>

They are all security features that you can choose to use or not use,
which makes sense with GSM being so flexible in allowing you to put your
SIM into other GSM phones.

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The views I present are that of my own and NOT of any organisation I may
belong to.

73 de Simon, VK3XEM.
<http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/client_search.client_lookup?pCLIENT_NO=157452>

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Bert Hyman - 23 Jun 2007 15:14 GMT

In news:5e3pi7F35snvdU1@mid.individual.net Simon Templar
<usenet@vk3xem.net> wrote:

>> Why do GSM phones have so many different lock codes?
><SNIP>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> which makes sense with GSM being so flexible in allowing you to put
> your SIM into other GSM phones.

Are some of these locks properties of the phone and some properties of
the SIM? If so, which is which?

In particular, if that was true of the lock code and the SIM PIN, it
would make more sense to me.

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Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN bert@iphouse.com

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Donald Newcomb - 23 Jun 2007 17:20 GMT

> Are some of these locks properties of the phone and some properties of
> the SIM? If so, which is which?
>
> In particular, if that was true of the lock code and the SIM PIN, it
> would make more sense to me.

Yes. The PIN and PUK are in the SIM. The PIN is what you use every day to
protect your SIM from unauthorized use. The PUK is what you use if you lock
the SIM by entering the wrong PIN too many times. If the SIM didn't lock
this way, someone who found or stole it could "brute force" their way into
the SIM.

Most of the other codes. Security, blocking, etc. are either in the phone or
in the network.

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Donald R. Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

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