T-Mobile doesn’t want you to unlock your phone in just 60 days

If you live in the US, you know all about carrier-locked smartphones. The “factory” state of a smartphone is unlocked, so you can take it anywhere in the world, pop in a SIM card, and use it however you need. That way, it’s nice and easy. However, carriers can offer phones and lock them to their networks for a variety of reasons.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US has proposed reducing the time it takes for carriers to unlock smartphones to just 60 days. However, T-Mobile has responded to this deliberate policy, and the carrier certainly doesn’t seem to be a fan of it.

T-Mobile doesn’t want consumers to be able to unlock their phones that quickly

There are many reasons why you might want to buy a smartphone that’s locked to your chosen carrier. The most important reason is that you can get the phone at a big discount. The carrier will give you the phone at a discount (or even for free) as part of a subscription plan, but your payments will be made monthly and added to the phone’s offer, just like buying anything else on credit.

The FCC wants consumers to be able to use their unlocked devices sooner rather than later, which is why it has proposed that carriers unlock devices after 60 days. For now, it’s just a proposal, so there’s no need to panic. However, T-Mobile has responded to the FCC’s intent, and the carrier is clearly opposed to this potential policy, saying it could prevent customers from paying for new smartphones in installments.

This new policy could have a major negative impact on consumers.

You might think that the ability to quickly free consumers from the sweaty grip of carriers could be anything but a good thing, but that’s far from the truth. Of course, there are plenty of selfish reasons why carriers want to lock your devices down longer—it keeps you tied to their network longer and makes it harder for you to switch to a competitor.

However, locking your phone allows your carrier to provide you with a new smartphone at a significant discount. They want to make sure you don’t run away with the phone they sold you at a loss, but the ability to unlock your phone after 60 days means you can make at least two payments on a new device before you decide to unlock it and run away.

Think about it: If a carrier knows you’ll be able to unlock its device 60 days after you get it from them, they lose all their influence. At that point, carriers won’t even offer big discounts on smartphones anymore—you’ll have to start buying them at full price or with a small premium. That’s what T-Mobile meant when it said it would make it easier for customers to pay.

At the end of the day, some customers will win, but if T-Mobile performs as we expect, many customers — especially low-income consumers — will lose. For example, T-Mobile offers a high-end device like the Motorola Razr+ (2024) for free. This may no longer be a reality if the situation changes. It’s hard to say whether it’s worth it.