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CRTC Bans Locked Phones and Carrier Unlocking Fees (mobilesyrup.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Canada's telecom regulator has announced that as of December 1st, 2017, all individual and small business wireless consumers will have the right to have their mobile devices unlocked free of charge upon request, while all newly purchased devices must be provided unlocked from that day forward. The decision came following the February 2017 review of the Wireless Code, where unlocking fees took center stage, with some parties (like Freedom Mobile) advocating for the abolishing of those fees altogether, some arguing they should remain as an important theft deterrent and the CRTC suggesting the fee should be far under the current $50 CAD standard. "The Wireless Code has helped make the wireless market more dynamic to the benefit of Canadians. While they appreciate the Code, they told us loudly and clearly that it could be more effective," said Jean-Pierre Blais, chairman of the CRTC, in a press release.
Well, this is a start. Phone locking has been outrageously abused by carriers, and I'm glad they're getting another kick in the balls from the CRTC. Next should be a review of wireless pricing.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
I can't wait to see how the carriers manage to interpret this rule in the most customer-hostile way possible. Maybe they'll create a special "speaking to phone unlocking agent" fee.
Log in or piss off.
This is one of those places where government regulation made sense.
Although all the carriers locked their phones, and it was obvious that customers didn't want it, no single carrier dared unlock without the rest of the industry following suit. Although one company could possibly use it as a selling point to try to attract customers, in reality it would be a competitive disadvantage.
You can imagine if only one company offered unlocked phones, their customers would be free to leave for the competition, but the competitors customers would not be free to do the reverse.
The free market can in fact sort out many things, but this just isn't one of them. (that, and the whole definition of a "free" market in such a heavily regulated space)