Customers of US-based wireless carrier Verizon won’t be able to swap SIM cards in the coming days. This is because Verizon announced that it would soon stop selling unlocked phones. For customers, this would mean that they could no longer use their smartphones on various carriers both in the US or in other countries.
To combat theft, Verizon is locking phone down
The US-based wireless carrier announced this month that it would eventually phase in the company’s new SIM lockdown on smartphones it sells this 2018.
So how does this system works? The company said that as customer signs-up and activate one of the company’s services; it would initially unlock smartphones. But there’s an exemption, come spring, the US-based wireless carrier said that it would keep the phone locked for a specific period after the customers purchased the device.
Meanwhile, tech users claim that this practice is common to other US-based carriers. Verizon also agreed to sell their unlocked phones. But these phones, according to the company, are under the Federal Communications Commission’s open-access rules.
It can be recalled that the company has won the auction of the C Block of 700MHz spectrum. The carrier runs its LTE network using the C Block of 700MHz spectrum.
This would also mean that the US-based wireless carrier customers with locked devices should contact the company to unlock their devices. This set-up, however, is somewhat difficult for other customers since they are not allowed to use other US carriers using the Verizon phones.
“We’re taking steps to combat this theft and reduce fraud. These steps will make our phones exponentially less desirable to criminals,” Tami Erwin, executive vice president of wireless operations for Verizon, told CNET in a statement.
A company official said that the company’s locking policy is meant to prevent thieves from further stealing other phones.
