The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has announced that mobile carriers in the United Kingdom will be prohibited from selling mobile phones that are locked to their network. The regulator hinted that the move is necessary to encourage users to switch network as desired. This will in turn enhance competition and service delivery.

It is common practice for carriers to lock devices sold via their retail outlets to their network but that practice has since started waning as many operators including the heavyweights like O2, Three, Sky Mobile, and Virgin Mobile have already switched to selling unlocked generic versions. Even those who still indulge in the practice like EE/BT, Vodafone, and Tesco Mobile offer a blend of locked and unlocked handsets.

The regulation will bring the UK place the UK in compliance with the European Union regulations under the European Electronic Communications Code that would be announced soon. Even though the UK will be exiting the EU soon, the government has previously pledged to comply with the same standards as the EU on mobile telecoms.

Also, Ofcom decided to act on this legislation because of the faulty process that is needed to unlock a handset when the contract ends. In most cases, users are made to wait for an unlock code which usually takes a while to come. Even when the code finally arrives, in some cases they don’t work. Ofcom observed that this is preventing users from switching networks even when they don’t get the best services. Further, a study shows that the networks usually don’t specify at the point of purchase if a handset is locked to a network or not. The end-user only finds out after the deal is sealed.

These reasons seem to outweigh the reason the carriers adduce for locking the phones to their network and this bothers on security. Carriers believe locking the mobile phone to a network can reduce fraud and makes it more difficult for thieves to sell off a stolen handset.

Ofcom also disclosed that the new regulation will become effective from December 2021.

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