You know that car mechanic you see often? The one who does an OK job but always forgets a little something here and there? Imagine if you wanted to switch mechanics, but you couldn't without asking him to unlock something in your car. That sounds annoying, right?
Unfortunately, this analogy actually describes our relationship with US wireless carriers, who have been allowed by regulations to lock phones even after a subscriber had fulfilled their contractual obligation to the carrier.
CTIA, the trade group that represents these companies, announced Thursday that all five major carriers—that includes AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular—have voluntarily agreed to make unlocking phones a guaranteed and more transparent process. The announcement of six principles that outline how the carriers will handle unlocking devices means consumers looking to unlock their phones and tablets should have a simpler time doing so. The only time a carrier won't unlock your phone is if it feels that the unlock request is fraudulent or that the phone has been stolen.
Carriers have long opposed unlocking phones, likely for fear of losing customers to a competitor. It's been frustrating for consumers, though, who want the freedom to take their phones overseas or to another carrier within the US. Last year, the Librarian of Congress even declared that unlocking a phone violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
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