Lately, SIM-unlocking has been really popular in the Android News world. A few weeks ago we heard that it is now illegal to SIM-unlock your phone or tablet without the carriers permission. Which was news, but not really. There was even a petition about it. Nothing really changed, the law has always been in effect, and you can still unlock your device the same way you did before.
Now in Canada, our Northern neighbors have the CRTC who is holding hearings to draft their potential wireless code. One of the key points in this wireless code is device unlocking. While most of their carriers offer unlocking, it’s usually many months into a contract and usually a high cost. Rogers currently has over 9 million customers, and if you’re a Rogers customer and was looking to unlock your device. Previously you had to complete your full contract then pay $50. But if you paid full price you could unlock it at any time.
Today, Rogers changed their unlocking policy which is effective March 2013. According to a post on their corporate blog:
“we’ll be changing our policy so that you no longer have to wait until you complete your full term commitment – you can unlock 90 days after activating your device on the Rogers network. We’re also making it even easier for you to have your phone unlocked by bringing it to any of our Rogers retail stores.”
So far there is no word on the exact date in March as when this will go into effect, but the cost is still going to be $50 to get it unlocked. But 90 days (or 3 months) is much better than 3 years. Yes Canada still has 3-year contracts. Rogers has also noted that this change in their unlocking policy will also affect Fido and Chatr Wireless customers.
So if you’re a Rogers, Fido, or Chatr Wireless customer, beginning next month you’ll be able to get your phone unlocked for $50 after 3 months. Not bad, right? Let us know in the comments what you think.
Source: Rogers