sim for an old mobile - dumb question, help please

aeb_2

I have tried to search without luck so I hope someone can help me

My mum gave me an old mobile. It is new in its box but without the charger. It has a battery and when switch on says 'wrong card'. It was given to her partner but he never used it so she doesn't know anymore about its history

I looked inside and there is a TESCO sim. I'm thinking this means it's locked to another network.

How do I find out which network it is locked to so I can get the right sim?
If I do get the right SIM will I be able to find out the number?

(Idiot questions but please help - the mobile I use must be 15 years old so for me this one is ultra modern!) Thanks

Owain_Moneysaver

The number comes with the SIM, not the phone.

A mobile phone shop might be able to help.

macman

But if it's 15 years old, you can almost certainly unlock it for free, (an old Nokia or similar?), so better to unlock it and then pick the network you want, rather than take an unsuitable network just to use it on the one it's locked to.
If you can't use in on Tesco, then it's not locked to O2. Borrow a Voda or Orange/EE SIM and the odds are one of those will work with it.

prowla

You can often get free SIMs (or even get paid to take one via a cashback site), so you could order some and see what works. As noted, there's no point in trying O2 and associated brands.

What make & model of phone is it?

Silk

I'm wondering if it is because the Tesco sim will have expired and no longer recognised ????
May still work on O2 /Tesco if thats the case and maybe thats why there was a Tesco card in it

AndysDad

Silk wrote: »

I'm wondering if it is because the Tesco sim will have expired and no longer recognised ????
May still work on O2 /Tesco if thats the case and maybe thats why there was a Tesco card in it

Yes I think most sims expire after 6 months if there is no activity,so guess that's the problem.

aeb_2

Thanks for all the answers. Just to word it better, the mobile I use now is 15 years old. This 'new' one is perhaps about 8-10 years old, I don't know. It is a Samsung. There were a few on *bay which were locked to Orange so I have ordered an Orange SIM which will give me £5 when I top up with £10.
I'll let you know.
I didn't know SIMs expired, thanks for that info