[globile]

Absolutely. Remember the "2014 Obama Unlocking Law" [1] ? It was supposed to not only not make it ilegal to carrier unlock a phone, but also forced all carriers to adopt a specific code of conduct to assist users with unlocking.

Fast forward 6 years, and it is much harder to unlock a phone than it was then. The whole thing backfired for consumers. It was actually easier to unlock a phone in a "non-legal" way before the law than it was right after.

This whole new code of conduct for carriers actually made them convert their SIMlock departments to be more like a customer retention lifecycle.

This mainly applies to US carriers (in the US and Latam), and there certainly are exceptions in Europe where EVERY cell phone is unlocked from day one, regardless of your contractual status.

[1]: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/08/15/heres-h...

[lostlogin]

> This mainly applies to US carriers (in the US and Latam), and there certainly are exceptions in Europe where EVERY cell phone is unlocked from day one, regardless of your contractual status.

I had no idea this was still a thing, it’s horrible. What mechanism is creating the current situation? Phones are all unlocked here in New Zealand.

[Nextgrid]

> What mechanism is creating the current situation?

Lack of general consumer protection regulation (or their enforcement), and specifically with regards to telecommunications the regulator who's supposed to oversee the field (the FCC in the US, or OFCOM in the UK for example) is often in bed with the companies it's supposed to regulate.

[abiogenesis]

> Phones are all unlocked here in New Zealand.

Really? I'm surprised because I'm in AU and there are certainly phones locked to a specific carrier. What about $10 burner phones?