CyanogenMod - in a vanilla or official build - will not typically contain a bootloader. On many devices there is really no good way to even overwrite the bootloader because it is on protected memory (the bootloader is "locked") and cannot be overwritten. It installs a boot image and a system image (i.e. writes to the `/boot` and `/system` partitions). I've heard that some builds will also come with a recovery image, but I have never seen one that did this. Unlocking your SIM is unrelated to your firmware, and CM will not perform a SIM unlock for you. [CyanogenMod's wiki itself states][1]: > CyanogenMod, however, does not "unlock" the device. Most carriers > "lock" their handsets to prevent customers from buying a handset and > moving to a different carrier. Carriers depend on these "exclusivity" > agreements to bolster revenue. For example: if you buy an iPhone in > the US, you are stuck with AT&T or Verizon, whichever you bought from. > To use the handset on another carrier's network it would be necessary > to "unlock" the handset. This is done with a code based on the IMEI of > the handset that can be provided by your carrier or firms on the > internet that are slightly more reliable than a Nigerian Prince. > > Unlocking cannot be done by installing CyanogenMod, or any other > firmware for that matter. I would further assume that the bootloader on your device does not have any kind of bearing on the SIM lock. HTC allows bootloaders to be unlocked on certain devices, and [their website specifically states][2]: > Please note that unlocking your bootloader does not mean that you will > be able to unlock the SIM lock. Unlocking your SIM lock is at the > discretion of your operator/carrier and is not part of the bootloader > unlocking scope. I would guess this is likely similar on other devices, though I'm not specifically familiar with Huawei's hardware or software. [1]: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/What_is_CyanogenMod [2]: http://htcdev.com/bootloader