In hardware, $.15 is "significant expense" because the margins are thin and unit economics. The list of blocked frequencies changes occasionally (like time zon

In hardware, $.15 is "significant expense" because the margins are thin and unit economics. The list of blocked frequencies changes occasionally (like time zone definitions); if you can't update the "illegal frequency blocking" chip then it becomes illegal to use your otherwise-perfectly-good product once the rules change. Plus, it depends on what country you're in, so ideally if you move (or just go on a vacation) to another countries you don't want to have to throw away your old router/smartphone/smartwatch and buy new ones in the other country.