However, it will work with a Rogers SIM.

Because PCM and SO operate on Rogers' network.

Does anyone know how/where I can get it unlock so that I can put in a new SIM when I travel to Asia?

Links to several unlocking sites have been posted on this forum, e.g. here. These sites charge money for their service. I have no persona experience with any of them.

If you want to gamble, wait until you get to Asia, then when you go to a local cellphone store to get a SIM, ask them to unlock your phone. Another option is to buy a local phone/SIM/airtime package in Asia. Sometimes that's cheaper than paying to get your own phone unlocked.

To determine if your phone is unlocked you need to try a non-Rogers/SO/PCM SIM, e.g. a Fido SIM (or any foreign SIM.) If using that SIM you can connect to a Canadian network then the phone is unlocked.

a phone that takes a sim card will accept any sim card on the same freq.

SIM cards and frequencies are two unrelated issues. SIM cards know nothing about the frequency bands that your phone works on. You can take, say a Rogers SIM, and put it in a phone that works only on European bands (900/1800) and it will work in Europe in those countries that have roaming arrangements with Rogers. That same phone with the same Rogers SIM will not work in Canada because the 900/1800 bands aren't supported here.

you can buy any phone you like that is unlocked from any other county. they will all work here, and thats I phones too.

Again, this is untrue. If you buy a phone in, say Europe, that supports only European bands (900/1800) then it won't work in NA no matter what SIM you have in it.

You can put Petro Canada's sim card into an unlocked or rogers network phone.

PCM and SO both use the Rogers network so any unlocked 850/1900 GSM phone and all phones locked to Rogers will work just fine.

All GSM phones have sim cards, Bring them on get rid of the retriction on the type of Phone you can have. you can buy any phone you like that is unlocked from any other county. they will all work here, and thats I phones too.

I went out and bought a Sony Ericsson K850 from Rogers and the Petro Canada Mobility Plan ($49 cellphone + 100 air time).

After registering the SIM with Petro Canada's activation thingy. I put the SIM in my K850 and it works. So. To clarify.

Yes. You can put Petro Canada's sim card into an unlocked or rogers network phone.

MDMM said:

Thanks a lot.Now it is safe for me to buy an other from petro canada.

You're always welcome. Have a great day.

MDMM said:

Thanks alot.
I need only Petrocanada SIM to use in my other unlock GSM Canadian cellphone.
Since i cannot buy a separate PCM SIM,I have to buy a cheaper PCM phone with their SIM.

So You advise to go and buy patro SIM with phone.Will take my sim and will use into my other unlock expensive GSM phone.
OK.

I did the "experiment" this morning - took out my PetroCan SIM & inserted it in several phones of mine & made calls with them. Results:

UNLOCKED Nokia & Panasonic 900/1800/1900 triband GSM phones: WORKED

UNLOCKED Siemens 850/1900 dualband GSM phone: WORKED

LOCKED "FIDO" Sony Ericsson 850/1800/1900 triband GSM phone: DIDN'T WORK, asked me to insert correct SIM

Hope the above helps.

So You advise to go and buy patro SIM with phone.Will take my sim and will use into my other unlock expensive GSM phone.
OK.

1. An unlocked GSM phone that can work in Canada (it can have either the 850 or 1900 mHz frequency, ideally both)

2. A GSM phone locked to Rogers (but not one locked to Fido)

7-11 SpeakOut and PetroCan phones are generally unlocked, and I have not heard any of them being locked.

if I can use Petrocanada sim in my other GSM canadian band cellphone or not????

I don't see why not, however, if no one else here has done it, the only way to confirn it 100% is to try it.

Note too that PCM's return policy gives you 15 days to return the phone/SIM for full credit, minus airtime. If you start with $20 airtime then that's all you risk in the unlikely event that their SIM won't work in your phone.

I was thinking to buy a petrocanada phone.I have an other GSM cellphone.
Please let me inform about your experience if I can use Petrocanada sim in my other GSM canadian band cellphone or not????
Does petro sim work in another gsm cellphone?

Correct??

No.

I didn't say anything about PCM's phones being locked (or unlocked.) My comments are about SIMs, not phones.

Gopher Guts said:

However, there is no way to restrict the use of a SIM to a particular phone.

Actually, that's just one of several types of "locks" that a phone can have applied to it. It can be locked to a country, to a particular Network or Service Provider (Rogers vs Fido), or even to (gasp!) a specific SIM card.

I didn't say that phones can't be locked. Quite to the contrary. The OP asked if he could use a PCM SIM with another phone. My response stands: yes, if it's an "unlocked, GSM phone that works on the 850/1900 bands."

If the SIM gets lost or damaged, the phone is trash, unless the network weenies provide an unlock code, or agree to assign the phone to another SIM. That's also why there's so many ads for "unlocking" services.

All true, but irrelevant to the OP's question. Presumablby if he just bought a phone/SIM from PCM then the SIM is functional.