Why aren't all phones unlocked out of the box?

The question kind of says it all, I mean if all phones were unlocked out of the box, we wouldn't have to fuss through crap like waiting until after 3 months to unlock, or waiting until the carrier finally decides to unlock it. I'd like it that all phones could be unlocked straight out of the box, but it sucks looking for phones that are already unlocked because they're 2-3x more than the subsidized price of a carrier, and not all of us can afford a $600-700 Lumia 900 or an iPhone 4S. What do you guys think?

all unlocked phones gsm t-mobile lumia900 att arent of the cdma iphone4s why out

asked Jul 09 '12 at 23:45

DJ Scooby Doo
9.5k●237●281●380

4 Answers:

oldest newest most voted

Because it would offend the carriers (i guess haha). That's a question only phone companies would know.. I'm sure the carriers wouldn't know. All they know is it will be trouble to switch so most people don't and [carrier here] is happy.

answered Jul 10 '12 at 00:44

Cameron
1.8k●104●128●136

edited Jul 10 '12 at 00:44

Most phones here in Denmark are unlocked, contract or no contract.

But then again an contract for a mobile phone can only be a maximum of 6 months.

answered Jul 10 '12 at 05:44

Lee Wood
2.4k●28●39●69

A maximum of 6 months? Wow! Here it hard to even get one as short as 12 months and they tend to be ludicrous expensive. Are those 6 month contracts expensive (If you wanted a smart phone for example like an iPhone)?

(Jul 10 '12 at 08:45) Mattophobia ♦♦

Not really, sure because its 6 months, we pay more each month, and we pay a percentage of the phones price at time of purchase (just like in the US) but its alot cheaper than what you guys in the states pay.

They have changed the system now (See new example) ... But when I bought my iPhone 4 I paid the following:

1999DKK (about 330$US) at time of purchase for the phone 199DKK (about 33$US) connection fee Then for 6 months I paid 599DKK (about 99$US) a month Total: 5792DKK (about $957US)

The contract included: 10 hours talktime unlimited SMS and MMS 10Gb data Unlimited music downloads via the carriers music service. And various discounts on cinema tickets every tuesday at selected cinemas...

After the 6 months my monthly fee dropped to 399kr (about 65$), but this was purely for usage. I was then able to move whereever I want...

There are 4 main carriers here in Denmark and about 20 companies that "borrow" one of the 4 networks...

Due to the sheer competition we probably have some of Europes cheapest prices when it comes to mobile carriers and contracts.

Its changed slightly since I bought my iPhone 4, and because of this its increased prices of the phones a little, but the price of using the phones are falling drastically (Thanks to competition)...

I currently pay 99DKK ($17) for the following: 3 hours talktime 1GB data unlimited text and MMS messages

(Jul 10 '12 at 10:09) Lee Wood

1	Simple. Cell companies want to have control over your mobile devices. answered Jul 10 '12 at 10:11 ClaassenTech 1.2k●36●43●62

Could be many reasons DJ SCooby Doo. I would like to be able to upgrade my android phone OS to the Ice Cream sandwich if I could I have even gone as far as looking on the manufacturer web site to see if it can be done. Since some cell phones whether you're with an Iphone from Apple or from android variant or even on a blackberry. The carriers that carry them don't usually think on the side of the consumers. And only think of their own bottom line for things like that.

answered Jul 11 '12 at 00:01

Compucore
2.4k●11●19●25

IKR, I had to jump through 40 odd hoops to get where my Android is today on ICS. I had to downgrade to Froyo, do a bunch of things to HTC Sense, then install CWM then do an upgrade to an ICS port. If I were a manufacturer, I'd make all my phones unlocked manditory. If they lock it, I'll shut down business with them. I don't care how much money I'll make, it makes no sense if the customers aren't happy.

(Aug 14 '12 at 15:00) DJ Scooby Doo

Plus make sure that they can be upgrade to the latest OS for the smartphones as well. So the consumer can update it themselves as well. You gotta make the consumer happy with that. And they will always return with their business.

(Aug 14 '12 at 22:01) Compucore

Exactly, that's what the manufacturers are missing. They only think about the bottom dollar. Quantity over quality. My HTC MyTouch is running ICS 4.0.4 yet HTC and T-Mobile gave up on Gingerbread 2.3.4. It's running really good, the battery is excellent. I don't understand why they don't do that at all.

(Aug 14 '12 at 22:17) DJ Scooby Doo

I was chatting with Samsung not too long ago in regards to this for my Galaxy Gio. The tech guy on the other end almost had no clue what I was talking about. I just wish that some manufacturers would keep these cell up to date on the OS itself. It just makes sense to me. Its like when Linux, Microsoft Or Apple release a new version or Distro to their OS line. It makes things just a tad better for everyone.

(Aug 15 '12 at 22:56) Compucore

@Compucore, did you check up on XDA-Developers? They have tons of Jelly Bean and ICS ports up: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1407

(Sep 20 '12 at 23:30) DJ Scooby Doo

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Asked: Jul 09 '12 at 23:45

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Last updated: Sep 20 '12 at 23:30

Why aren't all phones unlocked out of the box?

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