Canada bans unlocking fees, all new cellphones must be sold unlocked

[Jos]

Canada’s telecom regulator, the CRTC, has announced that starting December wireless providers will no longer be allowed to sell locked mobile devices or charge Canadians to unlock their phones for use on rival’s networks. The changes come six months after the regulator heard from consumer groups who accused some cellphone companies of violating the country’s Wireless Code, a code of conduct for carriers introduced in 2013, and called for the rules to be tightened and enforced.

Canadians already pay some of the highest wireless rates of any G7 nation, and by keeping cellphones locked, carriers make it a little more cumbersome for consumers to switch providers. The nation’s “big three” Bell, Rogers and Telus all charge $50 for the one-time service, netting them a cumulative $37.7 million in 2016 for unlocking roughly 943,000 devices according to documents provided to the CRTC.

The updated code also gives customers 15 days to get out of their wireless contracts for free, provided they return their devices in near-new condition and have used less than half their monthly limits. Currently, most carriers have more restrictive limits — at Bell it’s 30 minutes of voice usage and 50MB of data.

The CRTC further clarified existing rules in the Wireless Code to combat bill shock. For shared plans, the account holder must be the one who consents to data overage and data roaming beyond the established caps of $50 for data overage and $100 for roaming. The caps apply on a per account basis, regardless of the number devices on the account, and these clarifications will go into effect immediately.

Canada’s Wireless Code of Conduct was first introduced in June 2013, reducing three year wireless contracts to two years and demanding a more transparent and flexible format for subsidy payments over the course of that 24-month period. It also restricted roaming and overage charges, called for easier to understand contracts, and banned a 30 day wait period for customers cancelling their contracts.

Image credit: Mobile Syrup

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https://www.techspot.com/news/69748-canada-bans-unlocking-fees-all-new-cellphones-must.html

 

[OutlawCecil]

I'm liking Canada more everyday for stuff like this.

 

[m4a4]

And they'll find a way to get it out of us consumers another way...

 

[VitalyT]

I foresee this resulting in prices collapse for both phone calls and the Internet, on the account of the open competition. Nice!

 

[dirtyferret]

Consumer protection laws? We used to have those in the USA then our politicians deregulated everything to help lower prices....now our cable bills & cell phones bills look like car payments...

 

[Uncle Al]

Man oh man ..... OH CANADA!!!!!

 

[roebling]

1) Cellular cost in Canada should be expensive. Towers cost the same whether they serve 1,000,000 customers or 10. In Canada, population density is among the lowest in the world. At less than 4 people per kilometer, it's a tenth that of the US & about the same as Guyana and Botswana.
2) Eliminating carriers' ability to lock phones will kill phone financing and so sales of premium phones. Apple, say goodbye to Canada!

 

[Ryno1]

Man oh man ..... OH CANADA!!!!!

I wouldn't sing too many praises. Government and companies here treat everyone like they have unlimited money. Pricing for everything keep going up and everyone has their hand out. Canada, land of the gougers.

However, it is nice to something positive like this

 

[hahahanoobs]

Man oh man ..... OH CANADA!!!!!

I wouldn't sing too many praises. Government and companies here treat everyone like they have unlimited money. Pricing for everything keep going up and everyone has their hand out. Canada, land of the gougers.

However, it is nice to something positive like this

Did you already forget about the planned move to $15 minimum wage?

 

[hahahanoobs]

1) Cellular cost in Canada should be expensive. Towers cost the same whether they serve 1,000,000 customers or 10. In Canada, population density is among the lowest in the world. At less than 4 people per kilometer, it's a tenth that of the US & about the same as Guyana and Botswana.
2) Eliminating carriers' ability to lock phones will kill phone financing and so sales of premium phones. Apple, say goodbye to Canada!

2) unlocking is approved AFTER your contract is over, or if you buy the phone outright...

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Man oh man ..... OH CANADA!!!!!

I wouldn't sing too many praises. Government and companies here treat everyone like they have unlimited money. Pricing for everything keep going up and everyone has their hand out. Canada, land of the gougers.

However, it is nice to something positive like this

Did you already forget about the planned move to $15 minimum wage?

Per month?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Man oh man ..... OH CANADA!!!!!

I wouldn't sing too many praises. Government and companies here treat everyone like they have unlimited money. Pricing for everything keep going up and everyone has their hand out. Canada, land of the gougers.

However, it is nice to something positive like this

Show me a country that is not like that and I'll show you a well oiled, efficient government fairly running a country on Jupiter. They just don't exist, never have, never will.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Carrier locking phones has been an illegal practice here for years now... and this is Africa. I would've thought no country in the world would've condoned it anymore.

 

[hahahanoobs]

Per month?

Per hour.

 

[HugsNotDrugs]

1) Cellular cost in Canada should be expensive. Towers cost the same whether they serve 1,000,000 customers or 10. In Canada, population density is among the lowest in the world. At less than 4 people per kilometer, it's a tenth that of the US & about the same as Guyana and Botswana.
2) Eliminating carriers' ability to lock phones will kill phone financing and so sales of premium phones. Apple, say goodbye to Canada!

Canadians have groups of people living near each other called "cities" where density justifies cell towers and coverage. There are other vast uninhabited areas that have no cell towers or coverage.

Having a carrier-unlocked phone doesn't relieve you of contractual obligations to pay for it.

Best of luck with everything.

 

[Rippleman]

1) Cellular cost in Canada should be expensive. Towers cost the same whether they serve 1,000,000 customers or 10. In Canada, population density is among the lowest in the world. At less than 4 people per kilometer, it's a tenth that of the US & about the same as Guyana and Botswana.
2) Eliminating carriers' ability to lock phones will kill phone financing and so sales of premium phones. Apple, say goodbye to Canada!

You are incorrect. Why would locking a phone kill phone financing? The contact is the obligation, not the phone. You can STILL unlock the phone even if you reneg on the contract.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Per hour.

Talk about being overpaid...

 

[roebling]

You are incorrect. Why would locking a phone kill phone financing? The contact is the obligation, not the phone. You can STILL unlock the phone even if you reneg on the contract.

Nonsense.

 

[Rippleman]

Nonsense.

You also incorrect. I was in telecom business for 5+ years. This is what I did. Sorry that you are wrong.

 

[roebling]

You also incorrect. I was in telecom business for 5+ years. This is what I did. Sorry that you are wrong.

Locking phones is about financing & collections, not about telecom biz.
When "On Star" gave car dealers the ability to locate & remotely disable the cars they financed, dealers were able to get anyone with a pulse a car loan.
Locking phones was the telecoms' "On Star", their assurance that they'd get repaid for equipment they fronted to custormers.

 

[Rippleman]

Locking phones is about financing & collections, not about telecom biz.
When "On Star" gave car dealers the ability to locate & remotely disable the cars they financed, dealers were able to get anyone with a pulse a car loan.
Locking phones was the telecoms' "On Star", their assurance that they'd get repaid for equipment they fronted to custormers.

Perhaps On Star is a different creature since it's not really a cell phone but it is a car system with a cellular signal. I can not speak to that end of it, just saying for a regular handset telecom dealer, you CAN unlock the very same day you enter in the contract (I have done it for myself and for others dozens of times on the same day of sale). SOME telecoms do have limitations of 3 months of service before they allow you to unlock directly through them, but (to their displeasure) you can still unlock it through 3rd party seller since the phone itself is not part of the obligation of the contract. Also: If a telecom has blacklisted your handset, they can only LEGALLY do it if they can show that the contract has been attained under false information - which has nothing to do with locking/unlocking since you can STILL unlock a phone even if blacklisted.