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So far, in the US, you can only get the iPhone by taking up the services of a major national carrier like AT&T. But that might not be the case for long, as recent events seem to indicate.
Small and regional carriers have been sniffing around the iPhone for some time, but now they have taken steps in trying to bring Apple’s smartphone to their product collection. Bloomberg reports that local carriers have united their forces to support several bills in the Congress that support the alternative of customers unlocking mobile phones and tablets without the carrier giving the green light.
Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) president, Steven Berry, makes a valid point when he explains that:​​
“The unlocking is one way the consumer can make the decision that I can try someone else who has better coverage in the area where I live or play.”
Recently, the Library of Congress managed to get approved a law that basically prohibits smartphone owners to unlock their devices without asking the permission of the carrier they are operating under. The decision has been hailed by the big names in the carrier business: Verizon and AT&T. In the other camp, CCA brings together carriers such as T-Mobile, Cricket, Bluegrass or NTelos.
With the legalization of phone unlocking, users living in rural areas would have the advantage of receiving better coverage, which is what the small carriers strive for. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Lehay and Iowa’s Charles Grassley have written a bill that asks the Congress to reverse the decision. Will they succeed?
Source: Bloomberg
So far, in the US, you can only get the iPhone by taking up the services of a major national carrier like AT&T. But that might not be the case for long, as recent events seem to indicate.
Small and regional carriers have been sniffing around the iPhone for some time, but now they have taken steps in trying to bring Apple’s smartphone to their product collection. Bloomberg reports that local carriers have united their forces to support several bills in the Congress that support the alternative of customers unlocking mobile phones and tablets without the carrier giving the green light.
Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) president, Steven Berry, makes a valid point when he explains that:​​
“The unlocking is one way the consumer can make the decision that I can try someone else who has better coverage in the area where I live or play.”
Recently, the Library of Congress managed to get approved a law that basically prohibits smartphone owners to unlock their devices without asking the permission of the carrier they are operating under. The decision has been hailed by the big names in the carrier business: Verizon and AT&T. In the other camp, CCA brings together carriers such as T-Mobile, Cricket, Bluegrass or NTelos.
With the legalization of phone unlocking, users living in rural areas would have the advantage of receiving better coverage, which is what the small carriers strive for. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Lehay and Iowa’s Charles Grassley have written a bill that asks the Congress to reverse the decision. Will they succeed?
Source: Bloomberg
