Franconian Beer Message Board
Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US |
| Posted by Mike B. on 2013-01-29 07:53:55 |
| My understanding of the legal change is that it is now illegal to unlock a phone AFTER the contract has run its course. It is still possible to ask the carrier to unlock it, but, as I understand it, they are under no requirement to do it. Unlocking a phone while it is still under contract is only of limited use. That is, you are obligated by your contact to pay carrier 1 and then you will also need to pay carrier 2 for the same service. It only makes sense if you are travelling abroad and your original carrier charges very high rates. Also it seems to me that a carrier saying they "subsidise" a phone is questionable. Yes, you may have only paid 200 for a 500 phone, but the monthly charges more than make up for the difference. I calculated it recently (for a Dutch supplier) and the "subsidised" phone actually cost about €2-300 more than buying the phone without a contract. |
| Followups: |
 Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by barry on 2013-01-29 09:44:05 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by DonS on 2013-01-29 13:14:23 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by Fred Waltman on 2013-01-29 23:09:36 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by Mike B. on 2013-01-30 04:50:17 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by Fred Waltman on 2013-01-30 06:59:02 |