Getting 3G Back on my E61

Back in the day, when I first bought my Nokia E61 on the 3 network, I was happy and pleased. Then, using Nokia's Software Updater, I thought I'd fix a few buglets. It worked, but it put one pretty nasty buglet into the works; I could no longer get a 3G connection to the internet. Not the end of the world, but a pain with slow connections.

I waited for Nokia to release a new firmware and for Three to make it available, but it wasn't happening. I waited some more, and some more and some more, but nothing.

Browsing the old 'net one day, I saw that there is a way to carry out an upgrade without unlocking the phone and this is 'debranding'.

The premise is this; When I connect to Nokia Software Update, it says "Ah, you're on Three in the UK. Sorry, there's nothing for you here" but a way had been provided which enabled me to change the Product Code so that Nokia Software Updater thinks I'm somewhere else with an unbranded phone.

I repeat, this will not SIM Unlock your phone but if you've lost your 3G connectivity, are unimpressed at how 3 has taken away some of the menu options from your phone (such as switching from 3G to GSM only) or you're just fed up waiting for the latest firmware, this may be of help to you.

• The first thing I did was download something called Nemesis Service Suite (NSS) - follow the link above and download the software (bottom of the page, click on the 'Zip' icon).
• After installing the software, I clicked to find devices then clicked on Phone Info. On the right hand side, in the Product Code, I entered 0523307 and ticked to enable it. Then I clicked on Write and it took seconds for that to finish.
• Next step was to run the Nokia Software Updater and it picked up a new firmware for me, flashed my phone and I'm away!

I didn't work this out all on my own. It took a lot of Googling to find out the solutions provided by the good folks here and here and here.

Of course, if you do anything I've written here and you brick your phone, don't come knocking at my door. Sorry and all that, but it's up to you. This is just the stuff that I did. I'm not forcing you to do it.