Mobile phone companies could soon be banned from selling locked phones, thanks to new Ofcom plans to make switching even simpler.
Companies including BT/EE, Tesco Mobile, O2, Sky, Three, Virgin and Vodafone still sell mobile phones that cannot be used on other networks unless they are unlocked.
Unlocking phones can cost around £10 and research by the regulator found that more than a third of people who decided against switching said this put them off.
The research also showed nearly half of customers who try to unlock their phone find it difficult. Issues faced include; long delay before getting the code they need to unlock it; they might be given a code that does not work, or they could suffer a loss of service if they did not realise their device was locked before they tried to switch.
The plans follow a change in the rules, introduced in July, that means mobile customers can now switch operator by simply sending a free text message.
Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s Consumer Group Director, said: “Switching mobile provider can be really frustrating.
“By freeing mobile users from locked handsets, our plans would save people time, effort and money – and help them unlock a better deal.”
