Unlock your O2 iPhone legally. Starting today!

Paul Nesbitt

O2 has begun allowing UK customers to unlock their iPhones, if they so desire, but if you're a Pay & Go customer it will charge you a one-off £14.69 fee for the privilege. And it may take up to 14 days to unlock it!

"For iPhone on Pay & Go, unlocking can take place 12 months after you've bought your iPhone for a one-off fee, which will be deducted from your airtime balance," O2 announced on its website.

Pay Monthly customers can have their handset unlocked at any time free of charge, but if you decide to replace it with a SIM from another network, such as Orange, which has just begun supporting the device, 'you will still have to honour the remainder on your contract'.

To unlock your phone, you have to complete an O2 unlocking form, and after a period which may take up to two weeks, O2 will text you to confirm the unlock request.

O2 may have lost iPhone exclusivity, but the company is determined not give up its high spending iPhone customers. As well as offering free home broadband to customers who purchase the Internet Tethering Bolt-On, the company introduced an offer of three free months of Sky Mobile TV to iPhone users.