It's not uncommon for a consumer in other regions of the world outside of the US (especially in Asia and Europe) to buy an "unlocked" handset. Unlocked refers to a handset that is not tied to a particular service provider's network. What's the advantage of this? Well if you're interested in a particular GSM handset that your service provider doesn't offer, then you can buy that handset, drop your SIM card into and use it.

It's what I do, using my Cingular SIM card but testing between 6-8 different devices daily. The nice thing is all of the GSM handsets I have are unlocked which allows me to use the handsets here in the US and when I travel abroad. For example during my most recent trip, I was able to use my Nokia N73 in Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Seoul using my same US number - very nice.

There's a great article on the Business Week web site that came out today that describes this new trend here in the US and what it may end up meaning for service providers here as well as meeting consumer demand for newer and more innovative handsets. The article focuses on Nokia and Motorola handsets but there's also a mention of Sony Ericsson and the idea that the much rumored iPhone will be unlocked.