matchboxbananasynergy Thanks for the reply. I think your first sentence answers my question. I thought the OEM unlocking was purely for unlocking carrier tied devices.
Regarding the relevance: the OEM unlocking process apparently requires the phone to have an internet connection which in the absence of WIFI or Bluetooth means I'd be needing the sim..
Either way, per the official instructions, I updated to Android 13 and the latest security patches about a week ago now, and did the factory reset to enable "OEM Unlocking" toggle in the developer options screen which are purportedly greyed out on Pixel 6a's till the factory reset is done post security update, but this option remains greyed out. Will it only work with internet (and thus an installed sim in my case noting no Wifi or bluetooth)?