Mobile firms to be banned from selling 'locked' phones - MSE News

Former_MSE_Naomi

Mobile companies will be banned from selling 'locked' phones which only work with their network, under new rules coming into force at the end of next year...

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'Mobile firms to be banned from selling 'locked' phones'

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unforeseen

But why so long before it happens?

Farway

unforeseen said:

But why so long before it happens?

Money is normally the answer to most delays

cannonballdaze

Presumably the contract will still in force. So you can switch the unlocked phone to a new provider but must continue paying the old contract.

MidlandsGlory

Not sure this is a helpful change for consumers. Had plenty of payg handsets in the past substantially reduced because they came locked to a network. A £4 unlock code from Ebay and shove a better deal sim in, great. I am sure the networks knew this happened to some handsets but it was still worth discounting in general.
Such opportunities will disappear now as all handsets will be sold at full retail price.

pmduk

I'm sure Apple, and perhaps Samsung, are scrabbling around trying to find a way round this.

Chino

Yet again, Ofcom wades in to regulate things that should be left to the market; consumers have a choice between buying (generally) more expensive unlocked phones and (generally) cheaper locked phones and it should be their decision which to buy.

Those "over a third of people who decided not to switch mobile provider" identified by Ofcom are doing nothing more than making excuses for their own laziness in not shopping around.

[Deleted User]

pmduk said:

I'm sure Apple, and perhaps Samsung, are scrabbling around trying to find a way round this.

how do you work that one out?

[Deleted User]

Chino said:

Yet again, Ofcom wades in to regulate things that should be left to the market; consumers have a choice between buying (generally) more expensive unlocked phones and (generally) cheaper locked phones and it should be their decision which to buy.

Those "over a third of people who decided not to switch mobile provider" identified by Ofcom are doing nothing more than making excuses for their own laziness in not shopping around.

Nope good idea 

liggerz87

Thats good but I hate how the networks have there own software on phones like I have a Samsung and the software version is btu meaning I get updates direct from Samsung no network interference 

dobbiesloan

My friends granddaughter who is with Tesco got a new phone for her birthday from them, switcher sim between phones and carried on with her plan. So she gave her old one to her grandfather, he put in his Labara sim and it was not recognized. Turns out the phone is locked to Tesco, What is the cheapest way to get it unlocked?