Groups Press for Handset-Unlocking Requirement as Part of T-Mobile/Mint Approval
Representatives of the Open Technology Institute at New America and Public Knowledge spoke with staffers of the FCC Wireless Bureau, Office of Economics and Analytics and others about their request for handset unlocking requirements for T-Mobile as part of its…
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proposed buy of Mint Mobile (see 2402060025). “Consumer advocates have long argued that mobile phones should come unlocked by default, allowing users to more easily make choices about the device and service they purchase, as they can for most products,” said a filing posted Thursday in docket 23-171. They noted that the U.K.’s Office of Communications has required mobile phones to be sold unlocked there since 2021. Ofcom found that “more than a third of people who decided against switching said having to get a handset unlocked put them off" changing providers, which “means they could be missing out on a better deal,” the groups said.