4 ms·

Nokia regularly cripple features, specifically including VoIP, at the demands of carriers. Perhaps not US carriers, but it happened frequently in the UK. I too

Nokia regularly cripple features, specifically including VoIP, at the demands of carriers. Perhaps not US carriers, but it happened frequently in the UK. I took the calls of people angry that their 'top end' handset couldn't do VoIP because they bought it from Vodafone. The carriers were always Nokia's customers, not the consumers, I can't see how that's going to change.

metageek 16y ago
>Nokia regularly cripple features, specifically including VoIP, at the demands of carriers. Perhaps not US carriers, Oh, definitely in the US—look at the difference between the E71 and the E71x, the AT&T version. The GP was talking about unlocked phones. I have an N86 which I bought on Amazon, and it's got SIP and other features which AT&T would hate me to have. >The carriers were always Nokia's customers, not the consumers Yeah, but that's the case with every phone manufacturer.
- semanticist 16y ago
  > Yeah, but that's the case with every phone manufacturer. That's exactly my point. In this regard Nokia are not in a special position to stand up to the carriers. Unlocked handsets don't count: almost no one is paying that much for a phone. Even Apple had to accept carrier subsidies for the iPhone to get the end purchase price down.
  - Tuna-Fish 16y ago
    > Unlocked handsets don't count: almost no one is paying that much for a phone. Most mobile phones in the world are bought unlocked. Carrier-locked phones holding most of the market is an US/UK quirk, and in many European countries, carrier-locked phones like used in the US would actually be illegal.
    - thomasz 16y ago
      Locked Phones are the norm in Germany too. If this holds true for France too, the vast majority of mobile phones in Europe is being sold locked. I don't know the details about the "illegal" claim, but normally those things are governed by EU laws, making it somewhat hard to believe that contracts common in the UK and Germany would be considered illegal in the Netherlands or Portugal.
      - hessenwolf 16y ago
        Locked phones are the norm in Ireland.
      - limmeau 16y ago
        Locked as in "locked to one network"? Except for prepaid 20EUR-phones and perhaps the iPhone, which phones in Germany come locked?
        StudyAnimal 16y ago
        Yeah locked to one network which also means you can only get firmware updates when the network specific version is ready, which is often months later, or never. Any subsidized phone purchased with a new contract is locked, as far as I know. But I don't know of many that are hard to unlock.
        thomasz 16y ago
        Phones are usually "bought" for 1€ with a 24 month contract attached. At the end of the contract, the lock is lifted and you can use your phone on all networks.
        limmeau 16y ago
        I'm aware of the 1EUR contracts (I live in Germany). I was just surprised that most phones in such contracts were supposed to be netlocked. I've bought most of my mobile phones of the past on eBay to use with my prepaid card. I've seen Vodafone, O2 and T-Mobile brandings on them, but I never had to contact the seller because of a netlock problem. I've also found footnotes like "this telephone can only be used on XXX network, wait 24mo or pay us 99EUR" on brochures and paper ads, but only for prepaid contracts. If there is a common practice of netlocking most German 24-month-contract phones, when did it start?

metageek 16y ago

>Nokia regularly cripple features, specifically including VoIP, at the demands of carriers. Perhaps not US carriers, Oh, definitely in the US—look at the difference between the E71 and the E71x, the AT&T version. The GP was talking about unlocked phones. I have an N86 which I bought on Amazon, and it's got SIP and other features which AT&T would hate me to have. >The carriers were always Nokia's customers, not the consumers Yeah, but that's the case with every phone manufacturer.

semanticist 16y ago
> Yeah, but that's the case with every phone manufacturer. That's exactly my point. In this regard Nokia are not in a special position to stand up to the carriers. Unlocked handsets don't count: almost no one is paying that much for a phone. Even Apple had to accept carrier subsidies for the iPhone to get the end purchase price down.
- Tuna-Fish 16y ago
  > Unlocked handsets don't count: almost no one is paying that much for a phone. Most mobile phones in the world are bought unlocked. Carrier-locked phones holding most of the market is an US/UK quirk, and in many European countries, carrier-locked phones like used in the US would actually be illegal.
  - thomasz 16y ago
    Locked Phones are the norm in Germany too. If this holds true for France too, the vast majority of mobile phones in Europe is being sold locked. I don't know the details about the "illegal" claim, but normally those things are governed by EU laws, making it somewhat hard to believe that contracts common in the UK and Germany would be considered illegal in the Netherlands or Portugal.
    - hessenwolf 16y ago
      Locked phones are the norm in Ireland.
    - limmeau 16y ago
      Locked as in "locked to one network"? Except for prepaid 20EUR-phones and perhaps the iPhone, which phones in Germany come locked?
      - StudyAnimal 16y ago
        Yeah locked to one network which also means you can only get firmware updates when the network specific version is ready, which is often months later, or never. Any subsidized phone purchased with a new contract is locked, as far as I know. But I don't know of many that are hard to unlock.
      - thomasz 16y ago
        Phones are usually "bought" for 1€ with a 24 month contract attached. At the end of the contract, the lock is lifted and you can use your phone on all networks.
        limmeau 16y ago
        I'm aware of the 1EUR contracts (I live in Germany). I was just surprised that most phones in such contracts were supposed to be netlocked. I've bought most of my mobile phones of the past on eBay to use with my prepaid card. I've seen Vodafone, O2 and T-Mobile brandings on them, but I never had to contact the seller because of a netlock problem. I've also found footnotes like "this telephone can only be used on XXX network, wait 24mo or pay us 99EUR" on brochures and paper ads, but only for prepaid contracts. If there is a common practice of netlocking most German 24-month-contract phones, when did it start?