Oct 28, 2020 12:00:00

'Ban the sale of SIM-locked smartphones,' UK regulators announce

If you purchase a smartphone such as an iPhone with one carrier and then switch to another carrier, you cannot use the network of another carrier unless you unlock the

SIM lock of the terminal. British regulators have announced that this practice is at the disadvantage of users and 'bans the sale of SIM-locked smartphones and feature phones.'

Mobile firms to be banned from selling'locked' handsets --Ofcom
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/features-and-news/mobile-firms-banned-from-selling-locked-handsets

UK to ban sale of carrier-locked phones from December 2021 --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/10/27/21535957/uk-ofcom-locked-carrier-phone-ban-ee-vodafone-tesco-mobile

Mobile phones such as the iPhone can use the communication function by inserting a SIM card that identifies the carrier's subscriber, but some carriers have set a SIM lock on the mobile phones they sell. If you unlock the SIM lock, you can insert the SIM card of another carrier to use the network, but unlocking it can be expensive and time-consuming.

Ofcom , a UK telecommunications and broadcast regulator, points out that unlocking a SIM lock requires users to do complicated procedures and can cost around £ 10. According to a survey actually conducted by Ofcom, more than one-third of those who considered switching to another carrier postponed the switch after unlocking the SIM lock.

Ofcom said, 'Almost half of the customers trying to unlock their smartphones have a hard time unlocking them. For example, there is a delay in getting the code needed to unlock the SIM lock on their mobile phones, or The code may not work, or the service may not be available without noticing that the mobile phone is locked before the transfer. '

Ofcom bans carriers from selling SIM-locked mobile phones because they believe that SIM locks provided by carriers prevent users from easily switching carriers, which is disadvantageous to users. We announced a new rule.

'This allows people to move to another network without hassle,' said Ofcom. The rule prohibiting the sale of mobile phones with SIM locks will be introduced in December 2021.

Of the major carriers in the UK, O2 , Sky , Three and Virgin already sell mobile phones without a SIM lock, while EE , Vodafone and Tesco Mobile sell mobile phones with a standard SIM lock. I am. Vodafone told BBC News that it is already preparing changes to comply with Ofcom's guidelines.