3 ms·

This is something that I like in Brazillian laws, in Brazil carriers are supposed to always provide "portability", this mean that you can keep your phone number

by speeder 14y ago

This is something that I like in Brazillian laws, in Brazil carriers are supposed to always provide "portability", this mean that you can keep your phone numbers when you change your carrier. The "portability" laws, also say that the carriers themselves have to unlock your phones if you want to change carrier. This ensures that a carrier cannot make you locked to them by using phone lock or number lock. It is highly interesting. Maybe facilitated by the fact that all carriers here use GSM (people think that CDMA is shit, and like the fact that GSM chips are harder to clone than CDMA phones).

breckenedge 14y ago
In the US, we also get to port our numbers to new carriers. It's been this way for a while. Do Brazilian carriers offer contract-subsidized phones? Many carriers here will unlock your phone once your contract is complete. See AT&T's unlock details at [1] [1] https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/ https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/
- StavrosK 14y ago
  In Greece, all carriers offer subsidies for most phones (some are even free with a plan), and every single phone is unlocked. It makes no sense for them to sell locked phones, since you can't get out of paying your dues for the duration of the contract anyway. The lock-in is in the contract, not the phone, so locking the phone as well is unnecessary.
- speeder 14y ago
  Yes, a lot actually, in fact carriers here are infamous for offering phones even for free depending on the contract, resulting into one carrier once making a ad, saying that their bonuses for long term costumers were cash, because "paying" with phones was silly. But the law says that if the costumer want to end his contract, then he will pay his fines or whatever, but the carrier must unlock the phone. Also you see "unlocking stores" frequently on metro stations for example, it is perfectly legal, and encouraged by the government, to incentive some free market between carriers (here we have 4 big GSM carriers, some people even own prepaid GSM chips of all of them).
- Trezoid 14y ago
  In Australia we have number portability and while we have contract subsidized phones they are legally required to be free and simple to unlock. For an iPhone, for example, you just run the reset in iTunes and the phone's unlocked.

by speeder 14y ago

breckenedge 14y ago

In the US, we also get to port our numbers to new carriers. It's been this way for a while. Do Brazilian carriers offer contract-subsidized phones? Many carriers here will unlock your phone once your contract is complete. See AT&T's unlock details at [1] [1] https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/ https://www.att.com/deviceunlock/client/en_US/

StavrosK 14y ago
In Greece, all carriers offer subsidies for most phones (some are even free with a plan), and every single phone is unlocked. It makes no sense for them to sell locked phones, since you can't get out of paying your dues for the duration of the contract anyway. The lock-in is in the contract, not the phone, so locking the phone as well is unnecessary.
speeder 14y ago
Yes, a lot actually, in fact carriers here are infamous for offering phones even for free depending on the contract, resulting into one carrier once making a ad, saying that their bonuses for long term costumers were cash, because "paying" with phones was silly. But the law says that if the costumer want to end his contract, then he will pay his fines or whatever, but the carrier must unlock the phone. Also you see "unlocking stores" frequently on metro stations for example, it is perfectly legal, and encouraged by the government, to incentive some free market between carriers (here we have 4 big GSM carriers, some people even own prepaid GSM chips of all of them).
Trezoid 14y ago
In Australia we have number portability and while we have contract subsidized phones they are legally required to be free and simple to unlock. For an iPhone, for example, you just run the reset in iTunes and the phone's unlocked.