[Astraeus]

I worked in a nightclub earlier this year and, around April time, a BlackBerry 8310/8320 was dropped in the club. As is the arrangement for anything found in the club, the phone was put into lost property but no-one has ever come forward to claim the phone. After a few weeks, I used my BlackBerry charger to turn the phone on in the hope of being able to use a number from the phone to trace the owner but the phone is completely blank - no numbers, messages, owner details or custom applications - nothing.

Up until I left my job at the end of August, we've not had anyone claim the phone and so have decided it's time to remove it from lost property. The phone is locked and so barred from making outgoing calls but I am reluctant to throw away what is a perfectly good 'phone.

Is there anyway of re-registering it to use on a different network? It's got the Orange logo on the actual phone so I'm assuming it's locked to that - but if someone has reported it lost, I'm guessing the phone is seized up permanently?

Would appreciate any advice as to whether this is possible or, failing that, whether an owner can be traced using the IMEI number?

[RobM]

When it's blocked by a network, it's blocked for all UK networks. You could contact Orange and quote the IMEI number and they may be interested in having it back, but I doubt they will be that grateful really as this will probably be long forgotten and since replaced. Might be worth a go.

If not, there is a market for these on eBay since they usually work fine on foreign mobile networks where the IMEI block doesn't work.

[Astraeus]

Ah, okay thanks. So services like http://www.gsmphonesource.com/ won't be able to recover the phone as usable?

Do the phone recycling places have any use for them?

[RobM]

Originally Posted by Astraeus

Ah, okay thanks. So services like http://www.gsmphonesource.com/ won't be able to recover the phone as usable?

Do the phone recycling places have any use for them?

I couldn't comment on the likes of the website you've linked to as I've never used them. However looking at it, it looks like an unlocking solution for SIM locked handsets - i.e. handsets locked to a specific network only. There are numerous solutions like this that allow you, for instance, to take a phone supplied on and locked to Orange and unlock it for use on any network.

This is different to your case, where your IMEI is barred from all UK networks.

However, as said before the IMEI bar only applies in the UK so if you're looking to offer it out to a US site, it shouldn't be a problem so long as you're honest about the state it's in.

And with regards to the recycling places and even charities, they may well be interested as many strip phones down for components or ship them overseas.

[geniusworkin]

It wont work here in the UK.

Your best option is to send to friends/ family abroad, or try selling it on a foreign ebay mentioning its been blocked here.

I'd be willing to buy the battery if you split the phone.

thanks,

gw

[Martyn Day]

isnt blocked its "locked" being its barred, the owner must have reported it lost/stolen and its basticly dead. nothing can fix it. you could try wit MFI to wipe it and reinstlal the software.. but as soon as it connects to any network it'll prob lock again... only way to remove is to get an network to remove the lock afaik..

[geniusworkin]

The IMEI has been blacklisted here in the UK, it will never work here.