as a matter of fact in australia telstra and optus the two biggest telcos still do it. vodafone have just stopped the practice, i believe you should be able to switch carriers if you find a better deal rather than being locked into a two or three year contract and maybe just pay the phone off. someone tell me if i’m wrong! but maybe i’ve missed something. cheers gerry have a nice day Email: [email protected] Skype: gerry.cook1 Twitter: @gerrycook52
> On 18 Feb 2018, at 1:08 pm, Erik Burggraaf <[email protected]> wrote: > > Locking phones is an antitrust practice, and should be illegal. In December, > Canada made it illegal to sell locked phones on a carrier. This is a giant > step forward for Wireless in Canada, and I love it! > > Third-party providers sell unlock codes for 5 or $10 a piece, and so, locking > a phone is no deterrent at all to someone who can get $1,000 for scamming an > iPhone from Verizon. > > Cell phone providers have gotten away with running roughshod over customers > for 40 years, and it's time they paid back what they owe. Not that I'm in > favor of stealing phones from carriers. I just don't see why the customer > should have to pay the cost of theft from a large corporation. > > Best, > > Erik > > > On February 17, 2018 8:49:21 PM "M. Taylor" <[email protected]> wrote: > > Unlocked phones vs. locked phones: Why you should care > In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon breaks down what > you need to know about the carrier practice of locking phones. > By Marguerite Reardon, February 17, 2018 5:00 AM PST > > FAQ > > Should you get an unlocked phone? > The US wireless market is more competitive than ever, which is great news > for consumers who have lots of choices when it comes choosing a service > provider. > But one barrier still exists when trying to switch carriers: the locked > smartphone. > > The end of wireless contracts marked a watershed trend for consumers because > it finally opened the door for them to more easily shop around for > alternative wireless carriers. But the software locks that carriers put on > phones restricting its use on other networks still prevent many consumers > from having total freedom when it comes to choosing a provider. > > Now Verizon, the only wireless carrier that sold its phones unlocked out of > the box, is reversing course. The company said earlier this week it would > begin locking the phones it sells to consumers for an undetermined period of > time, which will prevent them from using a SIM card from another carrier. > But Verizon promised it would eventually unlock the device after activation. > The company hasn't said how long that period would be. > > Verizon said it's doing this to deter criminals from stealing phones, which > are often stolen en route to retail stores or from the stores themselves. > Unlocked phones make attractive targets because they can be resold on the > black market or used overseas with different carriers. That's particularly > the case for iPhones, which are a top target for thieves because of their > high resale value. > > Because I get so many questions about the difference between locked versus > unlocked phones and what it means to the average wireless customer, I've put > together this FAQ for my Ask Maggie readers to summarize the basics. > > What's the difference between a locked and unlocked phone? > The difference is that a locked phone has a software code on it that > prevents you from using it on another network. An unlocked phone either > doesn't have the software lock on it or someone was able to get a code that > unlocks the software. Once a device is unlocked, you can pop out the SIM > card and put in a different SIM and get service. > > What's the benefit of having an unlocked phone? > The biggest benefit of having an unlocked phone is that if you want to > switch wireless operators, you can easily do that. All you have to do is pop > in a new SIM and sign up for service. There's no need to buy a new phone. > This is great because it lets you shop around for the cheapest service > instead of being stuck with a particular carrier because you don't want to > buy a new phone. > > This flexibility can also come in handy for people traveling overseas. It's > usually less expensive to use a local wireless service while traveling > abroad. And again, you simply pop out the SIM card in your phone and replace > it with one from a local carrier. And voila! You will have a new local > number and it will be cheaper to make calls in country and access the > internet than if you used a US carrier's service that would require roaming > on the foreign network. > > Does GSM vs CDMA still matter? > Yes, the voice networks of US wireless carriers still use two fundamentally > different technologies GSM and CDMA. Sprint and Verizon use CDMA, while AT&T > and T-Mobile along with most of the rest of the world use GSM. > > The good news is that phones are a bit more compatible and portable among > carriers than they were a few years ago. But phone makers, like Apple, still > tend to make multiple versions of their phones so you need to know which > model you're buying before you can know if you can take it to another > carrier. > For instance, Apple sells two versions of the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus > and X. Unlocked versions of these phones that aren't sold through a carrier > are compatible on all four US carriers. The iPhones sold through Verizon or > Sprint can also be used on both CDMA and GSM networks, which means they are > compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile. But iPhones sold through AT&T and > T-Mobile don't include modems for CDMA, so they can't be used for voice > service on Verizon or Sprint. > > The bottom line is that you should check before you buy if you think there's > a chance you'll be switching carriers. > > How do I get my phone unlocked? > Depending on how you bought your phone, it may already be unlocked. For > example, if you didn't buy your phone through a US carrier or you purchased > it directly from Apple or on Amazon and either company indicated it was > unlocked, you don't have to do anything. > > Prior to the change, Verizon phones came unlocked out of the box. > Phones bought through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon (starting later > this year) will have locks on them. And you'll need to find out what > criteria needs to be satisfied before you can ask for a code to unlock it. > > So what are the criteria for unlocking? > It really depends on which carrier you use. > > AT&T requires you to pay off your phone and be active on your service for at > least 60 days. Even then, the company still requires you wait 14 days to > make your request. Sprint also requires that your phone be paid off. And it > requires a 50-day wait, though the phone is automatically unlocked. T-Mobile > also requires the phone be paid for in full, and it has a 40-day wait > period. But it will offer customers traveling abroad a temporarily unlock > code. > > Verizon wouldn't say how long the locked period will be once the policy > change is made in the spring. The company said it will provide an update > before the policy takes effect. It also declined to provide a specific > timeline for the rollout. The wait period is in place to deter scammers from > signing up for service using stolen identities to get a new phone and > immediately turning around and selling the device. > > Even after the change, Verizon will continue to unlock the phone regardless > of whether it's paid off. The company will also still accept unlocked phones > from other carriers. > > Ask Maggie is an advice column that answers readers' wireless and broadband > questions. If you have a question, I'd love to hear from you. Please send me > an e-mail at maggie dot reardon at cbs dot com. And please put "Ask Maggie" > in the subject header. You can also follow me on Facebook on my Ask Maggie > page. > > CNET's Roger Cheng contributed to this report. > > Original Article at: > https://www.cnet.com/news/unlocked-phones-vs-locked-phones-why-you-should-ca > re/#ftag=CAD-09-10aai5b > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. 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