Quote:
Originally Posted by STeeLy
I actually buy my phones in Hong Kong when I go back because it is either a lot newer or a lot cheaper (or on occasion, both) and I can just stick in a sim card when I get back, no need to unlock, nothing...
however, if u buy phones in north America, i believe that is a different story, or maybe its just canada... I bought a roger's phone once and that HAD to be unlocked. Telus is what my parents are on... since they usually get them from Cell City, everything is done by them.
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I think North America is the only place that locks phones to carriers. This may happen in certain European markets I'm not aware of, but it is illegal for carriers to lock phones in Asia to promote competition. The rationale behind locking you to the carrier is that in North America all carriers provide some sort of subsidy on the cell phone. By locking that phone, they have a higher guarantee that you will stay with them long enough for them to recover their money from the subsidy and profit. Even if you are willing to pay the penalty for early termination, the fact that you can't bring your phone with you to another competitor is a huge deterent.
Phone subsidies were unheard of in Asia until recently, mostly because they can't lock phones and in many countries, such as China, most people don't have enough credit for them to enforce a penalty if they don't live up to their end of the contract. In Hong Kong, it is becoming more and more common for them to subsidize a phone but requiring you to sign a 1 or 2 or 3 year deal. You require a valid credit card and they will charge you a fee if you want to leave. But unlike NA, because your phone is not locked, you can also take that phone to another carrier.