Congress and the Senate have passed a bill repealing a law stating that it is illegal to unlock cell phones. The bill will give ordinary Americans more flexibility and choice, so that they can find a cell phone carrier that meets their needs and their budget with the cell phone that they currently own.
Benefits of new cell phone unlocking law may be deceiving.
Not all US wireless operators use the same network technologies or the same radio frequencies to offer their service. For instance, AT&T and T-Mobile have built their networks on a technology called GSM. Phones designed for these networks are the most flexible, because GSM is the same technology that is used throughout the world. Wireless users can switch carriers on unlocked GSM devices simply by swapping out a SIM card.
It’s not as simple for wireless customers on Verizon or Sprint, which use a technology called CDMA for their basic voice service. This technology does not use a SIM card, so even if the device is unlocked, a Verizon customer can’t slip in a Sprint SIM card and get voice service on Sprint. The device must still be “provisioned” on the new carrier.
In a few years, the landscape will hopefully change as more operators move to the next generation of network technology: 4G LTE. But even then, the transition may not be completely seamless and devices made for different carriers may not be interchangeable.
There are indeed some consumers who benefit from unlocking cell phones. Mainly these are customers who travel abroad. With an unlocked GSM device, world travelers can pop in a SIM card to their device and avoid expensive roaming fees by using the service of a local carrier.
These requirements aren’t going away as part of this bill either. Wireless operators are only required to unlock devices that a customer fully owns. In other words, if you are still under contract with your carrier and you bought a device at a subsidized price, your wireless operator doesn’t have to unlock your phone. In many instances, the carrier won’t
Not all US wireless operators use the same network technologies or the same radio frequencies to offer their service. For instance, AT&T and T-Mobile have built their networks on a technology called GSM. Phones designed for these networks are the most flexible, because GSM is the same technology that is used throughout the world. Wireless users can switch carriers on unlocked GSM devices simply by swapping out a SIM card.
It’s not as simple for wireless customers on Verizon or Sprint, which use a technology called CDMA for their basic voice service. This technology does not use a SIM card, so even if the device is unlocked, a Verizon customer can’t slip in a Sprint SIM card and get voice service on Sprint. The device must still be “provisioned” on the new carrier.
In a few years, the landscape will hopefully change as more operators move to the next generation of network technology: 4G LTE. But even then, the transition may not be completely seamless and devices made for different carriers may not be interchangeable.
There are indeed some consumers who benefit from unlocking cell phones. Mainly these are customers who travel abroad. With an unlocked GSM device, world travelers can pop in a SIM card to their device and avoid expensive roaming fees by using the service of a local carrier.
These requirements aren’t going away as part of this bill either. Wireless operators are only required to unlock devices that a customer fully owns. In other words, if you are still under contract with your carrier and you bought a device at a subsidized price, your wireless operator doesn’t have to unlock your phone. In many instances, the carrier won’t
