She found it tucked between a duty-free shop and a coffee stand. The guy behind the counter, Raj, looked at her phone. “EE? Easy. Give me 10 minutes.”

Maya borrowed the woman’s phone, googled how do I get a phone unlocked , and a clear answer emerged:

“Google,” she said, smiling. “And a guy named Raj who knows his way around a carrier lock.”

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and Maya’s phone buzzed with a notification she’d been dreading: “SIM card not supported. Contact your carrier.”

The woman nodded knowingly. “Ah. Carrier lock. You’ve got two choices: ask nicely or pay someone to crack it.”

“My phone’s locked,” Maya said, the frustration sharp in her voice. “I can’t even put my US SIM in.”

She called EE’s international support line. After 20 minutes of hold music, an agent named Priya explained: “Your account must be active for at least six months and have no outstanding balance. You’re good on both.”

“You okay?” asked a woman wrestling a giant suitcase nearby.