Locked Cell Phones Hurting Canadians

photo credit: Locked Cell Phone

A new copyright bill in Canada could hurt cell phone users. Even with the recent launch of several new cell phone service providers, Canadian consumers are limited by locked cell phones. Mobile phones sold in Canada are typically sold with a digital lock programmed into them that prevents them from being used on a different carrier’s network.

Locked Cell Phones Hurting Canadians

Canadian consumers have been used to incompatible cell phones between carriers. Canada’s big three cell phone company networks, (Bell, Rogers and Telus), were generally incompatible. There finally seemed to be a bit of hope though because in November, Bell and Telus jointly launched a new 3G High-Speed Packet Access network that is compatible with the one Rogers runs. In addition, 2 new carriers, Wind Mobile and Mobilicity, started up in December and are compatible with the other network.

With locked phones, none of this matters. Canadians are stuck with either buying a new phone when they change carriers, or sticking with the cell phone service provider they are using. The new copyright law solidifies the practice of locking cell phones. In addition, breaking a digital lock on a cell phone is currently illegal in Canada. The carriers justify the locks not only to prevent consumers from getting a free or cheap phone and then switching carriers, but also claim it is for technical support reasons.

Technical support is the justification to lock cell phones. Rogers spokeswoman Odette Coleman said “We don’t unlock them for customers or provide tech support for them because we did not certify those devices on our network and cannot guarantee how they will perform. The devices … go through the rigorous process of certifying so we can provide technical support and guarantee that they will perform.” (Can we smell something rotten?)

Here in the States we have a similar challenge. It is illegal to break digital locks, but cell phones are exempt from that law. However, incompatible networks plague us as well. Several of the carriers, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, use SIM cards (Subscriber Identity Module) to connect your phone. Verizon doesn’t use them except for world phones. Obviously then phones requiring a SIM card to operate wouldn’t be compatible with the Verizon network.

Cell phone service providers have long been known as bullies. They charge exorbitant subscription prices, and huge fees to stop the service before the contract is up. Apparently this practice is not limited to the US. We need more consumer protection, but should it be in the form of more laws? I am not an advocate of creating more laws. (Perhaps rescinding a few, yes, but not more.) I think we have far too many laws now, most of which are outdated and should be removed. Can we regulate cell phone service providers in a more “consumer friendly” manner? As a society we are hugely reliant on cell phones. Personally, I think they have us by the shorts. Got any solutions?