Verizon No Longer Plans to Sell Unlocked iPhones

[simon lefisch]

The FCC rules the following:

e)Handset locking prohibited. No licensee may disable features on handsets it provides to customers, to the extent such features are compliant with the licensee’s standards pursuant to paragraph (b)of this section, nor configure handsets it provides to prohibit use of such handsets on other providers’ networks.

Verizon as always with it's greediness.

This rule won’t be applied since the FCC chairman is Ajit Pai, who was a lobbyist for Verizon in the past.

 

[tito2020]

I am a Verizon customer and this is not good for the customer. I hope that the FCC steps in and stops them. All phones should be sold unlocked.

because you want to make money thats why you says this.

 

[udayan81]

Not the FCC under the current administration.

Very true.. Pai will probably even take off the FCC rule and award Verizon.

 

[0007776]

I thought they were legally required to have them unlocked as a requirement of some of the spectrum they bought. Did that condition expire or are they just counting on Trump’s FCC not enforcing it?

 

[dampfnudel]

Whats up with America having to control iPhones. land of the free it never was and still isn't,

It’s the land of the greed which ironically helped built this country, but now is slowly tearing it apart. I do get the “less attractive to criminals” security aspect of locking Verizon iPhones. I also guess that will make new iPhones (before the unlocked models go on sale in Apple Stores) in the US less attractive to scalpers and foreign tourists trying to take advantage of cheaper prices in the US.

 

[LegacyDroid]

eh, I don't think it affect me because I always buy iPhone at full price so it'll be unlocked regardless locked iPhone

right ?

 

[2010mini]

I am a Verizon customer and this is not good for the customer. I hope that the FCC steps in and stops them. All phones should be sold unlocked.

The FCC??? Under this administration?? Yeah good luck with that.

 

[spyguy10709]

That’s fine and dandy unless you need cellular service nation wide.

until you realize Tmobile now has a bigger network than verizon by square foot...the only metric by which verizon was able to claim they had the "best network"
https://opensignal.com/reports/2018/01/usa/state-of-the-mobile-network

 

[ackmondual]

Moved my whole family off of Verizon to T-Mobile (two 55+ year old parents with the two unlimited lines for $60 total with autopay) and my sister and I are on MetroPCS unlimited single lines ($60 a month for me for 50GB data + 15GB of hot spot data & $50 unlimited smartphone data for her line).

Was with Verizon since they were Airtouch Cellular. Most greedy company I've ever done business with. I'm so happy I've left them.

That’s fine and dandy unless you need cellular service nation wide.

YMMV. If you need the extra coverage and can pay it, then by all means. The flipside is some folks find T-Mobile "more than sufficient enough", and the savings there become nontrivial.

 

[Jetfire]

Not if the person who owns the phone turns it off before selling it in another country.

Then who cares, it's not stolen which is what Verizon says this is to stop. Also Apple is launching in multiple countries now, so the USA is not the first/only one getting them on launch day. So scalping should be down in the US.

 

[thejtray]

I think you mean overpaying for service cost. I can afford any carrier, any plan. I also have the freedom to jump in a vat of boiling oil. I don't because that would hurt. I would advise others not to do it because it would hurt, not because I'd be jealous of them attempting that pursuit.. It's a freaking cell service not a luxury photo safari though Africa. Since when did one's carrier choice become a status symbol? I just want reliable service at a realistic price. VZW doesn't really offer the latter. But, honestly, all carriers just suck to high Hell. They are the used car dealerships of the 21st century.

The best way to go is wait the 30 days for a SIM free phone to go on sale. Eithe purchase straight out or on one of Apple’s payment programs. Use an MVNO like StraightTalk, which allows you to choose what network you want. Avoid paying Verizon it’s ridiculous $30 Activation fee or any other carrier for that matter.

As for Verizon when it comes to coverage they are the best, but data speeds fall short of others in most metro areas and if you have Go Unlimited you might as well have no data as being “prioritized” on their network constantly is terrible. Oh and all this was in place while Net Neutality was here to save us all from the Verizon’s of the world.

 

[geoff5093]

Moved my whole family off of Verizon to T-Mobile (two 55+ year old parents with the two unlimited lines for $60 total with autopay) and my sister and I are on MetroPCS unlimited single lines ($60 a month for me for 50GB data + 15GB of hot spot data & $50 unlimited smartphone data for her line).

Was with Verizon since they were Airtouch Cellular. Most greedy company I've ever done business with. I'm so happy I've left them.

You realize T-Mobile already has a strict unlock policy in place right?

 

[chagla]

Wow, Canada took one huge step forward this past year (finally) mandating all phones being sold be unlocked while the USA continues the tradition of lock it down...

here in the USA, if it's not corporation friendly, we don't want it. hell with consumer friendliness. you can keep those marxist/communist thoughts out of USA.

 

[DaveOP]

It is not criminal (as seems to be Verizon's reasoning to prohibit ) to purchase a phone at full price and sell it a higher price or whatever it is people want to do with their own phone.

I completely agree with you. I think Apple should continue to sell SIM-Free phones for this exact purpose. It will be nice for Verizon customers to buy Verizon phones, and use them on the Verizon network without an insane amount of competition to get these devices.

 

[jav6454]

Looks like in the spring Verizon is going to start locking phones just like the other carriers.

I've heard that this is because they aren't worried about the FCC coming after them.

https://www.cnet.com/news/verizon-will-lock-its-smartphones-to-combat-theft/

They can't. FCC rules regarding band C of the 700 MHz purchase requires them to have all phones unlocked.

 

[makr]

Many people buy iPhones in contract, unlock them and fly to Middle East and sell them at huge profit.

Can you just enter a shop and buy a mobile on contract, without credit check etc?

 

[newellj]

Obviously a difference in culture. In the UK, all iPhones sold by Apple (from day 1) are unlocked. If I’m not mistaken, buy one on any network and it will also be unlocked.

How prevalent are carrier discounts and financing deals in the UK? They used to be ubiquitous here and I think a lot of people still take advantage of them (or, more likely, are taken advantage of by them). I did the math several years ago and concluded I was better off buying phones outright from Apple, and that means that our phones are all unlocked from day 1. Not that it proves much, in reality, because given where we go we're basically stuck with Verizon, in the sense that it's the best of a bunch of bad choices.

 

[michael31986]

Um. If you do iPhone upgrade program your iPhone is unlocked anyway. Is this for people with “next program” type plans with their carriers?

 

[macfacts]

They’re basically following in the footsteps of every other carriers. Devices under the payment plan will be sold locked. Pay it off and the device will be unlocked or pay full price (like every other carrier).

So what’s the issue here?

The issue is that Verizon bought some wireless spectrum with special rules attached, specifically not selling phones with carrier locks. https://www.macrumors.com/2012/09/2...s-required-by-fcc-network-access-regulations/



Fast forward to now and we have the head of the FCC who use to be a lawyer for Verizon, so Verizon isn't scared of breaking rules.

 

[geoff5093]

until you realize Tmobile now has a bigger network than verizon by square foot...the only metric by which verizon was able to claim they had the "best network"
https://opensignal.com/reports/2018/01/usa/state-of-the-mobile-network

lol no, T-Mobile does not have more square foot coverage than Verizon

 

[Closingracer]

They can't. FCC rules regarding band C of the 700 MHz purchase requires them to have all phones unlocked.

But clearly they are doing it.

 

[RF9]

As a Verizon customer that is happy with the service, and getting an excellent discount through work, I am glad to see this. I am hopeful that the waiting period will be 90 days or less, and this should accomplish exactly what they're stating. When I worked at the Apple Store a few years back, scalpers lined up every day to buy as many Verizon models as we would sell, just to ship them overseas. This should help a lot more Verizon customers get the phones they want, and not have so many non-verizon users trying to take them to other networks.

I'm hoping the waiting period will depend. For example I've got a long history with them of paying my bills so I should be able to get unlocked day one. A new customer may have to wait a bit longer.
But I have no problem with them selling them locked as long as I can get it unlocked when I need it to be.

 

[btrach144]

That’s fine and dandy unless you need cellular service nation wide.

I've live in and around the Seattle area and over the last year since switching to T-Mobile, I've traveled to Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Dallas, San Francisco/Bay Area, L.A., Costa Rica, Cancun (M.X.) and I have not had any reception issues.

 

[jav6454]

But clearly they are doing it.

Which means the FCC or the consumer can sue and very likely they'll [consumer] win.

 

[RF9]

Seems like more and more Americans are finding out they really don't need Verizon's coverage. Google 'quarter over quarter porting ratios' or 'BTIG Verizon porting'.

Well, I have phones on both T-Mobile and Verizon, and I definitely wouldn't give up Verizon. Too much unreliability with T-Mobile even when you have coverage.
That being said, a lot of Americans don't leave those coverage areas much so it's great for them.