T-Mobile and AT&T say U.S. regulators should abandon a plan that requires phones to be unlocked within 60 days of activation, arguing that locking phones to a carrier’s network allows cheaper phones to be offered to consumers. . “If the Commission mandates a uniform unlocking policy, it is consumers, not carriers, who will lose the most,” T-Mobile wrote in a Presentation on October 17. with the Federal Communications Commission.
The proposed rule is supported by consumer advocacy groups who say it will give users more choices and reduce their costs. T-Mobile has been criticized for locking phones for up to a year, making it impossible to use a phone on a rival’s network. T-Mobile says that with a 60-day unlock rule, “consumers risk losing access to the benefits of free or heavily subsidized phones because the proposal would force carriers to reduce the range of their phone offerings.” more attractive.”
If the proposed rule is enacted, “T-Mobile estimates that its prepaid customers, for example, would see subsidies reduced by 40 to 70 percent for its low- and high-end devices, such as the Moto G, Samsung A15 and iPhone 12,” the operator said. “A phone unlocking mandate would also leave carriers with no choice but to limit their phone offerings to lower-cost and often lower-performing phones.”
T-Mobile and other carriers are responding to a call for public comments that began after the FCC passed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in a 5-0 vote. The FCC proposes to “require all mobile wireless service providers to unlock phones 60 days after the consumer’s phone is activated with the carrier, unless within the 60 days for the service provider to determine that the phone was purchased through fraud.”
When the FCC proposed the 60-day unlock rule in July 2024, the agency criticized T-Mobile to block prepaid phones for one year. The NPRM noted that “T-Mobile recently increased its lock-up period for one of its brands, Metro by T-Mobile, from 180 days to 365 days.”
T-Mobile policy says the carrier will only unlock mobile devices on prepaid plans if “at least 365 days have passed… since the device was activated on the T-Mobile network.”
“You bought your phone, you should be able to take it to any carrier you want,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said when the FCC proposed the rule. “Some carriers already operate this way. Others do not. In fact, some have recently increased the time their customers must wait until they can unlock their device by up to 100 percent.”
T-Mobile’s blocking policy is more onerous
T-Mobile executives, who also argue that the FCC lacks authority to impose the proposed rule, met with FCC officials last week to express their concerns.
“T-Mobile is passionate about winning customers for life and explained how its phone unlocking policies greatly benefit our customers,” the carrier said in its post-meeting presentation. “Our policies allow us to provide access to high-speed mobile broadband on a nationwide 5G network. through free phones or with great discounts off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. T-Mobile’s unlocking policies are transparent and there is absolutely no evidence of consumer harm from these policies. “T-Mobile’s current unlocking policies also help T-Mobile combat phone theft and fraud by sophisticated international criminal organizations.”
