What does it mean when a phone is advertised as "unlocked" Can anyone unlock a cell phone?

I am looking for a phone that works with AT&T and do not want to sign a new contract or pay the high price at the corporate retail stores, I see phones on Craig's list advertising that they are unlocked. Is this a good solution for me? Can anyone unlock a phone? What is involved?

unlocked means the phone is open to any networking system , eg ; AT & T , Rogers , Telus , Bell , etc . to unlock the phone , you either can buy a special software from your local , Best Buy , Source , or any other store that sells electronics and electronic accessories , or you can go to the store of AT & T or where ever you would like your phone to be hooked up to , and ask the store to put in a SIM CARD , of there company . after that , you will either have to go online to the website of AT & T , or where ever , or go back to the store , to ACTIVATE your phone . this step is quite simple .

after youve completed all of the above steps ,

you are ready to use your brand new phone .

good luck !

An unlocked cell phone means that you can use any sim card with it and you are not bound to a network. Unlocking is generally done by an independent cell phone store.

An "unlocked" phone is one that has the ability to operate on other carriers' networks. You need a cable and special software to do this. The AT&T network uses a SIM chip in their phone so make sure the one you purchase has a slot for it.