Patent ID: 8185097

Claim:
A method of locking and branding a generic mobile communication device to a carrier network, comprising: inserting in the device a subscriber or user identification module specifying a selection of a carrier network to which the mobile communication device is to be wirelessly connected; issuing, from the device, a request to lock and brand the device to the selected carrier network; allowing a supplier's provisioning system to verify whether the device is suitable for connection to the selected carrier network before sending a customized configuration file; installing an updated operating system (OS) version, if necessary, for locking and branding the device to the selected carrier network prior to receiving the customized configuration file; in response to the request, receiving the customized configuration file for the selected network containing a device locking command, and one or more branding commands to brand the device to the selected carrier network; executing the device locking command to lock the device to the selected carrier network; and executing the one or more branding commands to brand the device to the selected carrier network with one or more customized features specific to the selected carrier network.