Ofcom today announced a range of new rules that will effectively ban mobile phone companies from selling locked smartphones.
The new rules will come in from December 2021.
Ofcom said Telefonica’s O2, Sky, Three and Virgin all choose to sell unlocked devices to their customers.
Ofcom said some companies – including BT/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone – sell smartphones that cannot be used on other networks unless they are unlocked, a potentially complicated process which can also cost around £10.
Ofcom research has found that more than a third of people who decided against switching said this put them off.
Almost half of customers who try to unlock their device experience difficulties doing so. For example, they may experience a long delay before getting the code they need to unlock their device; the code might not work; or they could suffer a loss of service if they did not realise their device was locked before they tried to switch.
Selina Chadha, connectivity director of Ofcom, said: “We’re banning mobile companies from selling locked phones, which will save people time, money and effort – and help them unlock better deals.”
Ofcom is also making it easier to switch between broadband networks. At present, customers switching between providers such as BT, Sky and TalkTalk on Openreach’s copper network can simply contact their new provider, who will manage the switch from there.
But customers moving to a different broadband network – such as Virgin Media, CityFibre, Gigaclear or Hyperoptic – need to manage the switch themselves and coordinate with both their new and existing provider to avoid a gap between the old service ending and the new one starting.
Ofcom will shortly consult on more detailed proposals for a new simpler switching process for all broadband customers.
