http://arstechnica.com/business/201...ells-wireless-carriers-to-unlock-cell-phones/
About time.
This is the way it should have been all along. If you buy the device outright or finish your contract, an unlock should be mandatory. Legal or not, I unlocked mine myself because I didn't want to go through the hassle of dealing with my carrier to unlock my device that I paid for in full up front.
The real snag here is just like binding arbitration. If you are under contract, the carriers can simply embed your consent to allow locking deep within the fine print of the contract you sign. In my opinion, binding arbitration should be illegal as well as it is forced upon the consumer with no opt out to obtain service, thus making you give up your right to initiate some legal actions.
When you sign a contract, there is really no need for a carrier lock because there is enough legal recourse for the carrier should one fail to uphold their obligations. There is also IMEI blacklisting.
Related
Is this really what government should be focusing on? I mean really? I always get my phones unlocked. Some I buy unlocked like my current phone and some I get unlocked. Prior to April of last year I was with TMOUS for 13 years. I think I'm a loyal kind of guy but when I go overseas to Europe, etc I object to paying $15 per MB for data and $1.00-1.99 per minute and so I use my unlocked phone with a TMOUK SIM. Funny thing here is I was using TMO both sides even though the UK SIM still required and unlock.
Anyway, I just think this is bulls$it! Will this make all those unlocking sites in the USA illegal? Guess so.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105...king-of-smartphones-becomes-illegal-saturday/
Not the unlock you are talking about. The illegal part refering to is often called jail break, not SIM unlock.
foxbat121 said:
Not the unlock you are talking about. The illegal part refering to is often called jail break, not SIM unlock.
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Not so.
Unlocking your cell phone disables the SIM lock that limits your phone to operating on a specific network provider. With few exceptions, most cell phones come locked so that they can only operate with a single service provider. Unlocking your phone allows you to take it to a new provider.
This is the unlock that becomes illegal.
Soon unlocking will become legal in the united states. Google ulocking legal and you will get the whitehouse response for the petition to make unlocking legal (I'm a new member can't post links don't wanna get banned )
abhishek1234321 said:
Soon unlocking will become legal in the united states. Google ulocking legal and you will get the whitehouse response for the petition to make unlocking legal (I'm a new member can't post links don't wanna get banned )
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Except White House has no power to do that. It needs congress to pass new law. And a bill like that is in the works. But with so many budget fights upcoming. This new bill is certainly not on anyone's top list.
foxbat121 said:
Except White House has no power to do that. It needs congress to pass new law. And a bill like that is in the works. But with so many budget fights upcoming. This new bill is certainly not on anyone's top list.
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Is it a bill that's needed or an FCC rule? An FCC rule/opinion would be much easier to to manifest than a congressional bill. Either way, the current status is a load of crap!
mobi said:
Is it a bill that's needed or an FCC rule? An FCC rule/opinion would be much easier to to manifest than a congressional bill. Either way, the current status is a load of crap!
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The unlock currently falls under DMCA law. Not sure how much FCC can do to bypass that law.
foxbat121 said:
The unlock currently falls under DMCA law. Not sure how much FCC can do to bypass that law.
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You're right. Enforcement may be a bit of a problem though... Can you really imagine the government using all it's resources to stop little old me taking my AT&T phone to use on T-Mo? Any way you look at it, it's a load of crap and I'm sure that this is an unintended consequence.
There will always be unintended consequence of any law.
As for enforcement, all it takes is someone rat you out Like your ex.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business...now-a-crime-to-unlock-your-smartphone/272552/
Unlock != root. Root allows you to run system level code on the device, while unlocking means removing the carrier lock which keeps the device tied to the network provider you bought it from - at least that's traditionally how it works.
Buy a phone from AT&T and it won't work on any other network by default if you were to put a competitor's SIM card in the device because it's "locked" to only work with AT&T's network, just as an example of what being locked means. Of course, providers are free to sell their devices completely unlocked but you end up paying full price for such devices - when the device is locked to a carrier they're under the hope that if you're "stuck" with them for the contract period (most likely the 2 year standard) that you being their customer for that length of time lets them recoup the cost of the phone that they paid so they could then sell it to you at a big discount and still make profit on top of that in the long run.
While I'm not going to tell anyone they should "break the law," I will saw that stupid immoral pointless laws are stupid, immoral, and pointless.
Please take a quick minute to stop at this link and take a look Petition link here..... It could mean the end of our freedom to unlock our phone..... Short sweet and to the point sign the petition.....:highfive:
Here is what we are against.....
we petition the obama administration to:
Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal.
The Librarian of Congress decided in October 2012 that unlocking of cell phones would be removed from the exceptions to the DMCA.
As of January 26, consumers will no longer be able unlock their phones for use on a different network without carrier permission, even after their contract has expired.
Consumers will be forced to pay exorbitant roaming fees to make calls while traveling abroad. It reduces consumer choice, and decreases the resale value of devices that consumers have paid for in full.
The Librarian noted that carriers are offering more unlocked phones at present, but the great majority of phones sold are still locked.
We ask that the White House ask the Librarian of Congress to rescind this decision, and failing that, champion a bill that makes unlocking permanently legal.
hankbizzo5 said:
Please take a quick minute to stop at this link and take a look Petition link here..... It could mean the end of our freedom to unlock our phone..... Short sweet and to the point sign the petition.....:highfive:
Here is what we are against.....
we petition the obama administration to:
Make Unlocking Cell Phones Legal.
The Librarian of Congress decided in October 2012 that unlocking of cell phones would be removed from the exceptions to the DMCA.
As of January 26, consumers will no longer be able unlock their phones for use on a different network without carrier permission, even after their contract has expired.
Consumers will be forced to pay exorbitant roaming fees to make calls while traveling abroad. It reduces consumer choice, and decreases the resale value of devices that consumers have paid for in full.
The Librarian noted that carriers are offering more unlocked phones at present, but the great majority of phones sold are still locked.
We ask that the White House ask the Librarian of Congress to rescind this decision, and failing that, champion a bill that makes unlocking permanently legal.
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If this passes will our fone be freed from the lockdown?
atrix2man said:
If this passes will our fone be freed from the lockdown?
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No. This is the carrier/sim unlock, not bootloader.
Hello everyone!
I'm planning to buy a Note 4 from a guy who is coming from Germany with a phone bougth from vodafone germany. He is telling me that vodafone sells samsung devices unlocked. Is there any sim lock and bootloader?
Btw here is the reciept he sent me. It's looks tike it has a contract: https://www.dropbox.com/s/66hqg2zr3nwbd1g/IMG-20141224-WA0000.jpg?dl=0
Should I buy this or not? Thank you.
In the EU it is legally forbidden to SIMlock devices to a specific provider. Even on a contract.
However Samsung has a Region Lock on their devices. You can't use an EU device with a non-EU SIM without first unlocking it with a local SIM by calling, internetting and texting for 5 minutes each.
Sewrizer said:
I don't know about Germany, but I live in the EU and all carriers here give you SIM Locked phones if you buy them on contract. In point of fact, I have seen a lot of iPhones locked by carriers from France and England. The fact that there are so many "companies" that Sim unlock them via IMEI is proof that there is demand for such services.
The problem with them is that they are significantly more expensive to unlock than devices that run Android. The only way (that I am aware of ) of getting a SIM Unlocked phone from a carrier is to buy it without contract.
Edit: I must add that I am not aware of the law you mention, but in practice the situation is different. I would like to read that law, if you could quote it.
Blog: http://applesndroids.wordpress.com
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It would appear those laws on SIMlocking were not actually enforced, just guidelines to which new local laws must adhere. Until countries review their laws, they need not change. (And there we have the explanation why local laws are all so outdated..)
Those 'companies' are money sucking leeches praying on ignorant customers. Here's why:
"The Directorate-General for Competition (DG IV) has written to GSM/DCS1800
handset manufacturers and network operators in the EEA limiting the use of
the "SIM Lock" feature in mobile phone handsets: the feature effectively
ties the customer to one GSM operator or service provider. The handset must
be able to be unlocked upon demand by the consumer. This will prevent the
anti-competitive effects of the feature vis-à-vis existing or new operators,
and avoid a reinforcement of the division of the mobile phone market along
national lines.
[...]
The practical effect of this will be that consumers will no longer be
charged what were often significant amounts of money for the privilege of
linking their own handset to the services of another operator / service
provider."
They must be unlocked upon request by the service provider, free of charge. Going to a paid 3rd party is sheer stupidity.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-96-791_en.htm
Sadly, many customers are not aware of these laws, and in many countries the courts rule in favour of the mobile operators for less than honest reasons (which they ofcourse always deny, because it has nothing to do with the ungodly amount of ex-politicians in the boards of directors..)
The only thing providers are allowed to do is put a timestamps on how long it takes for you to be allowed to unlock it, usually the time your contract lasts. By doing this, they can charge fees if you want it unlocked earlier.
The problem with Apple is that Apple itself locks the firmware to a carrier, and requires an update from Apple itself to unlock. (Like they also do with 4G for every separate provider.) The bastards have never cared for laws: The EU has laws that every charging port must be a MicroUSB since 2011. Apple ignored that, and with Obama backing Apple and holding the chains on the trade agreements, the EU can't do much more than impose petty fines that are small change to Apple.
Is it possible to unlock it to use work multiple carriers? I have Sprint but also service with Metro and I'd like to use this phone to go back and forth with. It's not paid off yet so Sprint won't unlock it, I think.
Nobody?
Historically they aren't going to unlock.
You could check if anyone can unlock on eBay or unlocking websites. It's gonna cost money.
If you're under contract TMobile or ATT may pay it off. But you'll be under a new contract.
Those are some options.
I don't mind paying. It's Sprint. I still plan to use spring but I need to use Metro when it go out to work because Sprint sucks in my area.
So see if third party sellers can unlock. But Sprint may still relock the device.
As far as I remember, nobody can unlock Sprint. Sprint DOES unlock their devices, they just make it harder to. You have to call Customer Services, let them know, as long as your account are in good standing, they might unlock it.
Here is their policy on that regard:
Sprint Postpaid Devices
Sprint will unlock a device from Sprint's network under the following circumstances:
The device is SIM Unlock capable
The device must be or have been active on the Sprint network for a minimum of 50 days
Any associated Service Agreement (or any Minimum Service Term, where applicable), Installment Billing Agreement, or Lease Agreement has been fulfilled including, but not limited to, payment in full of any applicable: 1) early termination fees, 2) accelerated installment or lease payments, and/or 3) end-of-lease purchase options. Because leased devices are not owned by the user, the end of lease purchase option must be exercised and paid in full before the SIM unlock is completed.
The associated account is in good standing
The device has not been reported as lost or stolen, associated with fraudulent activity, or otherwise flagged as ineligible to be unlocked
For SIM unlock-capable devices (generally most devices launched after February 2015), Sprint will automatically unlock postpaid devices when they becomes eligible.
You can always ask and see if they'll help you out?
only a third party service can help. I used wejustunlock dot com to unlock my old galaxy s9 and it still run fine.
The Firmware on the Sprint Note 10 has to be an older one in order for it to be unlockable by most sites or services. If its got the latest firmware installed on it already your in for a waiting period from my experience fighting the same battle!