VANCOUVER - Beginning Feb. 15, Telus wireless customers can pay a $50 fee to have their phones unlocked so they will work on other networks.

Customers won’t have to wait until they reach the end of their contract to get their phones unlocked, but they must have owned the device at least 90 days before Telus will unlock it.

While the unlocking enables the phones to work on other wireless networks, customers who buy phones at prices subsidized by long-term contracts will still be bound to those contracts, unless they pay out the amount of subsidy outstanding on their account.

Initially the service won’t be available for iPhones, but Telus said it expects to be able to extend the service to the popular Apple phones in the near future.

“It gives people greater flexibility for instances where, for example, they are at the end of a contract and they want to give their phone to someone else, that phone would work on any network including Telus,” said Brent Johnston, Telus vice-president, mobility solutions.

“If you are travelling internationally, perhaps going to Europe for an extended period of time you can unlock your phone and buy a prepaid SIM card from a local carrier and enjoy local rates when you are travelling.”

Johnston said while Telus will unlock the phones, the agreement customers make on subsidies remains intact.

“If people want to get a subsidy they can get a locked-in contract but they don’t have to have a locked-in phone,” he said.

When the service launches Feb. 15, Telus will post a list of all the SIM-based phones on its network that are eligible for unlocking.

The site also will detail steps customers must take to have their phone unlocked.

Customers don’t have to go to a Telus outlet to have their phones unlocked.

Johnston said if a customer needs help, Telus’s client customer-care team can walk them through the process on the phone.

Whether your phone will work around the globe depends on the unit you have and the frequency it operates on.

If you are planning a trip to another country, Telus advises visiting a Telus store or calling customer care to make sure you have the information you need and that the phone you’re planning to take work in the country you’re visiting.

A Rogers call representative said the company wouldn’t unlock a subsidized phone before a contract ended.

gshaw@vancouversun.com