Uswitch comments on Ofcom banning the sale of locked mobile phones
Following the announcement of Ofcom's new rules brought in as part of the European Electronic Communications Code banning mobile phone companies from selling ‘locked’ phones, Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at Uswitch.com, says: “Today’s announcement on mobile handset locking will finally rid the industry of this anachronistic practice.
“From December 2021, mobile providers which have continued to sell handsets locked to just one network, will no longer be able to do so, consigning the fiddly ‘unlocking’ process to the history books.
“Despite some modest improvements to the process, unlocking, when required, is often a pain - with Ofcom’s data showing that nearly half of customers who go through it experience some sort of difficulty.
“When the new rules come into force, customers will be able to buy the phone and package they want, with whatever network, safe in the knowledge that if they later choose to switch to another network, they can do so easily and base the decision purely on what’s right for them.
“Ofcom’s new package of rules will also bring greater transparency to contracts and improve switching processes between different networks, although consumers will have to wait until late 2022 for some of these changes to be introduced.
“Reform of the switching system will be vital, with new full fibre networks being rolled out across the country. And as the industry has so far failed to agree to a new process, all eyes will be on the regulator to see how this will work in practice."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rory Stoves
Phone: 020 3872 5613
Email: rory.stoves@uswitch.com
Twitter: @UswitchPR
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to switch their energy, broadband and mobile than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.