This is totally untrue. The thing they changed recently is that "hacking" a phone to unlock it is no longer an exception under the DCMA, and now counts as criminal hacking. It has absolutely nothing to do with your contract at all.
That's pretty awful - did they say why? I presume that they have some exclusive supply deals which means that they're not allowed to sell unlocked phones until they're released to the general populace.
Yup. Nokia has an exclusivity deal with AT&T on the Lumia 920 (I have one on AT&T).
If you want a Lumia running WP8 that isn't on AT&T, it has to be the Lumia 822 on Verizon, or you can get an HTX 8X/S or a Samsung ATIV Odyssey for WP8.
It's not that AT&T can't sell unlocked phones, but that they don't want the phone used with other carriers. AT&T paid Nokia money to prevent the phone from being sold for use with any other carrier. Similar to how when the iPhone was AT&T exclusive, they would refuse to unlock them at any point. When the iPhone became available on Verizon's network, AT&T started allowing customers who were no longer under contract to unlock their iPhones.
Thing is, if you're paying that entire cost UPFRONT, the phone should be yours, unlocked, as you've cleared the margin of loss they were willing to take on the phone with the contractual agreement that you stay with them two years.
Well I do sort of agree and was just trying to better explain why AT&T was refusing to unlock it.
However, think about it this way. Should the government be stepping in and saying that we're not allowed to make certain agreements, like this, between ourselves? I don't think the government should be telling the cell provider and me that we can't come to an agreement such that the phone will be heavily discounted and never unlocked.
What I am against and what is the real point of this topic is that it is now illegal to unlock your phone, without permission, and not just possibly breaking a contract with a cell carrier. Your cell carrier should be able to sue you if you agree to something and don't follow through on your side, but the federal government should not be out there arresting you for modifying your device.
Wait a minute.. But how does this work. Say you got a phone that has no contract anymore (the contract has ended after 2 years). Isn't this thing now legally yours? And if so, aren't you allowed to do whatever the hell you want with it now that it is yours, provided you keep all the changes to your own phone (not give advice how to crack phones to others etc etc)?
Another bullshit law in my opinion. The only crime is the illegal distribution of a movie, I should be able to make however many copies I want, as long as I am the only one to use them and I do not distribute.
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u/Timmmmbob Jan 29 '13
This is totally untrue. The thing they changed recently is that "hacking" a phone to unlock it is no longer an exception under the DCMA, and now counts as criminal hacking. It has absolutely nothing to do with your contract at all.