Congress Gives Unlocking Bill Another Shot
Ridiculous...
What is so difficult about unlocking a handset? Most Sprint and Verizon phones don't need to be unlocked, just activate them with one of the many MVNOs of Sprint or Verizon. Its really GSM handsets that need to be unlocked, of which there are millions of them out there sitting in a drawer because they are locked and thus unusable. No one wants to use their old carrier and 95% of people didn't know they needed the device unlocked before they left, which the carriers know. GSM or CDMA, all phones will all work within their respective ecosystem.
You wont hit all the bands for data, but the phone will almost assuredly work.
The whole concept of locking unlocking is a cash grab by the carriers, if I am buying a device that isnt under contr...
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You wont hit all the bands for data, but the phone will almost assuredly work.
The whole concept of locking unlocking is a cash grab by the carriers, if I am buying a device that isnt under contr...
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If the phone is not under contract you should have no difficulty getting the unlock code from the carrier, without having to pay anything.
When I worked for at&t, I unlocked 2-3 phones everyday, all I had to do is looked up the IMEI to make sure it hadn't been reported stolen, check to make sure that the customer hadn't been suspended for nonpayment in the last 6 months and that the phone was not under contract, and I provided the unlock code and unlock instructions. If the phone is under contract, you can get the unlock code for international travel after 6 months. I cannot immediately recall a single instance of when a customer asked for an unlock code, and met the minimal requirement outlined above (no suspensions for non-payment...
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When I worked for at&t, I unlocked 2-3 phones everyday, all I had to do is looked up the IMEI to make sure it hadn't been reported stolen, check to make sure that the customer hadn't been suspended for nonpayment in the last 6 months and that the phone was not under contract, and I provided the unlock code and unlock instructions. If the phone is under contract, you can get the unlock code for international travel after 6 months. I cannot immediately recall a single instance of when a customer asked for an unlock code, and met the minimal requirement outlined above (no suspensions for non-payment...
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it doesnt anymore its stictly online but still the same process, not sure about international travel though, bu still an eas process
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I don't know what the policy is today, but when I was at at&t, it was moving in the direction of being more open, not less, so I doubt it is much more restrictive today.
The only thing we had to do to give the unlock code for international travel was get the customer to agree to add international roaming to their plan, if it wasn't already there. Not an international roaming plan, but simply a feature to allow international roaming to happen. And if they were just going to put in a different SIM, it wouldn't matter to them anyway.
The only thing we had to do to give the unlock code for international travel was get the customer to agree to add international roaming to their plan, if it wasn't already there. Not an international roaming plan, but simply a feature to allow international roaming to happen. And if they were just going to put in a different SIM, it wouldn't matter to them anyway.
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Here is ATT current customer requirments to unlock a device:
Customer-Specific Requirements
Postpaid Phones and Tablets with a Service Commitment: Account has been active for at least sixty days and is in good standing, and all contract obligations, including any Service Commitment, associated with the device to be unlocked have been fully satisfied. The Service Commitment associated with a given device may be satisfied in one of the following ways:
Fulfillment of the Service Commitment by expiration of any contractual term
Upgrading to a new device under AT&T standard or early upgrade policies. Note: when you Early Upgrade you must complete the 14 day Buyer’s Remorse Period on your new device before requesting y...
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Customer-Specific Requirements
Postpaid Phones and Tablets with a Service Commitment: Account has been active for at least sixty days and is in good standing, and all contract obligations, including any Service Commitment, associated with the device to be unlocked have been fully satisfied. The Service Commitment associated with a given device may be satisfied in one of the following ways:
Fulfillment of the Service Commitment by expiration of any contractual term
Upgrading to a new device under AT&T standard or early upgrade policies. Note: when you Early Upgrade you must complete the 14 day Buyer’s Remorse Period on your new device before requesting y...
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Sorry but no, if you bought the device from the carrier, with carrier branding, under a contract at a discount, then you DO NOT own the phone, the phone is owned by the carrier until you fulfill the terms of your contract.
The reason why device lock happens is really simple:
The FCC regulations require all carriers to operate on separate frequencies and to own different spectrum. For this reason, a phone which works on one carrier will not necessarily work on another carrier. And that isn't even accounting for differences like GSM vs CDMA and other choices which the carriers make which aren't the result of FCC regulations.
People aren't going to be happy if they spend all the money to buy a phone, and then discover that it isn't ...
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The reason why device lock happens is really simple:
The FCC regulations require all carriers to operate on separate frequencies and to own different spectrum. For this reason, a phone which works on one carrier will not necessarily work on another carrier. And that isn't even accounting for differences like GSM vs CDMA and other choices which the carriers make which aren't the result of FCC regulations.
People aren't going to be happy if they spend all the money to buy a phone, and then discover that it isn't ...
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You make a lot of assumptions... "Sorry but no, if you bought the device from the carrier, with carrier branding, under a contract at a discount, then you DO NOT own the phone, the phone is owned by the carrier until you fulfill the terms of your contract."
Who said anything about buying a phone on contract with a carrier subsidy? Im talking about a no contract device or a device that has already completed it contacts (ie liens and encumbrances in the legalese). As someone who has sold and activated thousands of phones in my life, for six carriers, I know a good bit about it.
Your long explanation, while somewhat accurate, doesn't really apply. For one thing, all GSM or CDMA phones will work on any GSM or CDMA network. Not with fas...
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Who said anything about buying a phone on contract with a carrier subsidy? Im talking about a no contract device or a device that has already completed it contacts (ie liens and encumbrances in the legalese). As someone who has sold and activated thousands of phones in my life, for six carriers, I know a good bit about it.
Your long explanation, while somewhat accurate, doesn't really apply. For one thing, all GSM or CDMA phones will work on any GSM or CDMA network. Not with fas...
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what carrier chargers for unlocking a phone?
and as long as you finish out the contract o pay off your phone (most companies after 30days) you can unlock the phone without a problem, sprint may be different but i know the other 3 ive never had a problem
and as long as you finish out the contract o pay off your phone (most companies after 30days) you can unlock the phone without a problem, sprint may be different but i know the other 3 ive never had a problem
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Unlocking usually isn't difficult, but if you are not the original customer of the carrier, they often won't do it.
If the carrier doesn't want to play nice, you can usually find a way to unlock a phone elsewhere. But it doesn't always work and sometimes costs money even though you own the phone.
It shouldn't be a gamble when you buy a phone. The whole concept of locking phones is a shady monopolistic attempt at bundling and manipulating users as it is, the least we could do is make it not be a criminal act to try to avoid that.
And though individuals can pull it off, carriers and manufacturers have pursued actual police actions against people who do things like sell unlocked phones as a business. Based on what? "Copyright" of all c...
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If the carrier doesn't want to play nice, you can usually find a way to unlock a phone elsewhere. But it doesn't always work and sometimes costs money even though you own the phone.
It shouldn't be a gamble when you buy a phone. The whole concept of locking phones is a shady monopolistic attempt at bundling and manipulating users as it is, the least we could do is make it not be a criminal act to try to avoid that.
And though individuals can pull it off, carriers and manufacturers have pursued actual police actions against people who do things like sell unlocked phones as a business. Based on what? "Copyright" of all c...
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This forum is closed.
