The United Kingdom will ban mobile phone carriers from selling locked handsets to consumers, according to a new report from Sky News.
The country’s telecoms regulator OFCOM confirmed that the new policy will come into place before the end of 2021.
At present, mobile phone networks can sell handsets – including iPhones – locked to their own networks, which makes it harder for consumers to switch to another carrier.
If they want to unlock their phones, they’ll need to pay around £10, and it’s a complicated process.
OFCOM first announced the rule change last year, and has confirmed that it will be implemented by the end of 2021. It’s designed to protect consumers and make it easier to switch from one carrier to another.
It will affect carriers EE, Tesco Mobile, and Vodafone, but rivals O2, Sky, Virgin, and Three already sell their devices unlocked to protect consumers.
According to OFCOM’s findings, the current rules on locked phones meant that more than a third of consumers were put off from switching to another network.
The report also found that the process of unlocking a device was unnecessary complicated for the average consumer and that waiting for a phone to be unlocked meant that users suffered from a loss of service.
Speaking of the changes, OFCOM’s connectivity director, Selina Chadha, said: “We know that lots of people can be put off from switching because their handset is locked. So we’re banning mobile companies from selling locked phones, which will save people time, money and effort – and help them unlock better deals.”
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