Some good news for consumers this morning, Ofcom is looking into the possibility of banning locked smartphones and mobile phones in the UK.
When you buy a mobile phone on a contract in the UK it is locked to that carrier until the contract ends, this could be changed in the future.
Some providers sell locked devices so they cannot be used on another network. If customers want to keep using the same device after they switch, this practice creates additional hassle and can put someone off from switching altogether. We are proposing to ban the sale of locked mobile devices to remove this hurdle for customers.
Not all of the mobile carrier lock their devices to their network, the plan to change the ones that do lock it is designed to make it easier for people to switch carriers.