5 ms·

I always wonder, how can you U.S. guys tolerate this stupid carrier lock-in with year-long contracts? When in other parts of the world they are planning or alre

by ansgri 14y ago

I always wonder, how can you U.S. guys tolerate this stupid carrier lock-in with year-long contracts? When in other parts of the world they are planning or already have laws obliging carriers to provide call forwarding to your new number after you switch away.

breckenedge 14y ago
A multi-year contract is an option here, not a requirement, and some carriers will cut you a break to bring your own phone. Also, you take your phone number with you when you switch carriers. update: rhetorical
- ansgri 14y ago
  Thanks for clarification! It must be that the internet coverage of the issue is heavily skewed towards disappointed people, as always.
mpyne 14y ago
My understanding is that we already have number portability (but I've never tried it). As for the carrier lock-in, I believe most people get subsidized phones with a contract requirement, by the time the contract is up people are moving onto their next phone (and/or carrier) anyways. So right now it's not been a mainstream issue.
0x0 14y ago
It's happening in Europe too, and I don't see the big problem. It's what makes it economically possible for carriers to offer a subsidized up-front price on the phone. You're free to buy the much more expensive unlocked phone, even in the US, on apple.com, no?
- rednukleus 14y ago
  Its completely unnecessary. If you sign up for a 1 year contract, you still have to pay out the rest of the contract, regardless of whether your phone is unlocked or not. The only reasons to lock the phone are to force users to pay roaming charges, and to stop people from switching carriers after the contract has expired.
- maxerickson 14y ago
  Why did subsidy catch on for describing contract phones? I'm pretty sure the carrier is making a nice big profit on the loan, making subsidy a terrible word choice. I suppose many of the cheap prepaid phones actually are subsidized though.
illuminate 14y ago
"I always wonder, how can you U.S. guys tolerate this stupid carrier lock-in with year-long contracts?" How? Because we have a limited competition between carriers in the US. We "tolerate" because until very recently, there were not unsubisidized plans available (and even still, there are very few being offered.)
- watmough 14y ago
  T-Mobile is pretty reasonable. Unlimited data, with 2Gigs at 'high' speed for $40 / month, with 1000 minutes and unlimited texting. Pretty decent deal. This is one of the 'Value' plans, with no subsidy.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - illuminate 14y ago
    Yeah, AFAIK they only very recently started offering that value plan and marketing to people who would bring their phone over.
mikeash 14y ago
People go for long contracts because the carriers will help pay for your phone if you do, and until recently, you got no discount for not signing up for a contract. So, I could pay $600 for my phone and $X/month for service with no contract, or I could pay $200 for my phone and $X/month for service with a two-year contract. If I'm not planning to switch carriers anyway, why not save $400? This is starting to change, with T-Mobile leading the way toward giving people discounts if they bring their own phones or buy at full price. However, it's been the case for a long time that you could get service with no contract if you were willing to pay what it takes.

by ansgri 14y ago

breckenedge 14y ago

A multi-year contract is an option here, not a requirement, and some carriers will cut you a break to bring your own phone. Also, you take your phone number with you when you switch carriers. update: rhetorical

ansgri 14y ago
Thanks for clarification! It must be that the internet coverage of the issue is heavily skewed towards disappointed people, as always.

mpyne 14y ago

My understanding is that we already have number portability (but I've never tried it). As for the carrier lock-in, I believe most people get subsidized phones with a contract requirement, by the time the contract is up people are moving onto their next phone (and/or carrier) anyways. So right now it's not been a mainstream issue.

0x0 14y ago

It's happening in Europe too, and I don't see the big problem. It's what makes it economically possible for carriers to offer a subsidized up-front price on the phone. You're free to buy the much more expensive unlocked phone, even in the US, on apple.com, no?

rednukleus 14y ago
Its completely unnecessary. If you sign up for a 1 year contract, you still have to pay out the rest of the contract, regardless of whether your phone is unlocked or not. The only reasons to lock the phone are to force users to pay roaming charges, and to stop people from switching carriers after the contract has expired.
maxerickson 14y ago
Why did subsidy catch on for describing contract phones? I'm pretty sure the carrier is making a nice big profit on the loan, making subsidy a terrible word choice. I suppose many of the cheap prepaid phones actually are subsidized though.

illuminate 14y ago

"I always wonder, how can you U.S. guys tolerate this stupid carrier lock-in with year-long contracts?" How? Because we have a limited competition between carriers in the US. We "tolerate" because until very recently, there were not unsubisidized plans available (and even still, there are very few being offered.)

watmough 14y ago
T-Mobile is pretty reasonable. Unlimited data, with 2Gigs at 'high' speed for $40 / month, with 1000 minutes and unlimited texting. Pretty decent deal. This is one of the 'Value' plans, with no subsidy.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- illuminate 14y ago
  Yeah, AFAIK they only very recently started offering that value plan and marketing to people who would bring their phone over.

mikeash 14y ago

People go for long contracts because the carriers will help pay for your phone if you do, and until recently, you got no discount for not signing up for a contract. So, I could pay $600 for my phone and $X/month for service with no contract, or I could pay $200 for my phone and $X/month for service with a two-year contract. If I'm not planning to switch carriers anyway, why not save $400? This is starting to change, with T-Mobile leading the way toward giving people discounts if they bring their own phones or buy at full price. However, it's been the case for a long time that you could get service with no contract if you were willing to pay what it takes.