Carrier-free SIM cards are now legal in The Netherlands

[Justin Kahn]

It is possible for SIM cards to be built directly into mobile devices, essentially freeing customers from being locked to a service provider and allowing any device to be connected with any carrier.

While in most of the world this is illegal, the Netherlands has just become the first country to pass legislation allowing carrier-free SIM cards. As part of an amendment to the Telecommunications Act, devices in the Netherlands are no longer tied to a particular network.

While providers aren't likely to support this kind of change elsewhere, manufacturers stand to potentially benefit from a move like this. If something like this were to become more wide spread, manufacturers could likely avoid entering contracts with carriers for service, instead allowing customers to choose which network to use for themselves.

Apple was reported to be looking into cutting out the carriers back in 2010 with a rumored partnership with SIM-card manufacturer Gemalto. At the time, reports said the SIM card would be built-in to iPhone and customers could choose a carrier at the point of purchase, but the project eventually got buried (as far as we know).

While the move in the Netherlands is an interesting one, Apple was said to run into serious legal issues with its Gemalto project, so this is likely something that could hinder the legalization of carrier-free SIM cards in other parts of the world as well.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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https://www.techspot.com/news/56069-carrier-free-sim-cards-are-now-legal-in-the-netherlands.html

 

[stewi0001]

It would be cool to be able to pick your provider straight from your phone. It might cause some carrier's stores to close though.

 

[treetops]

It would be cool to be able to pick your provider straight from your phone. It might cause some carrier's stores to close though.

Yeah that would be boss you buy your phone, start it up and see a list of plans from all the carriers with pricings.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Yeah it would be cool. I couldn't care less about most of the carriers anyway, they're just money grabbing greedy pigs as far as I'm concerned. It would be nice to choose between the lesser of the evils.

 

[Burty117]

This would be awesome if it happens everywhere else. Makes everything so much easier and I personally feel that the networks would be in better competition, then it really would be who has the best signal and fastest speeds for the best price, rather than adding in extra for the device and what not.

I mean, in the UK you can buy a phone separate anyway and just use different sim cards, this would just clear up the mess.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Hard to believe that this is illegal except in the Netherlands. It should have been the way they were designed in the first place.