Canadian carriers Virgin and Bell reportedly unlocking all iPhone models
Canadian cellular providers Virgin and Bell will reportedly start unlocking all iPhone models for a nominal fee of $75 starting Monday, adding to three other carriers in that country that offer identical services.
Alleged screenshot of internal Virgin document regarding iPhone unlocking. | Source: mobilesyrup
According to internal documents obtained by Canadian tech blog mobilesyrup, as of Monday the two carriers have started to unlock iPhones through a "launched in phased approached" that requires a one-time fee of $75.
Both Bell and Virgin are charging the same price for the handset unlock as long as the user owns the iPhone outright, is not on contract and is currently on one of the carriers' post-paid plans. No official announcement has been made, and Apple's unlocked iPhone carrier list does not yet reflect the addition of the two companies, however the publication claims that unlocking will be done through Bell Support and Virgin Mobile Support.
The "next phase" will begin in 2013 when eligibility requirements are expected to be loosened, however the documents did not offer any further details regarding the future stipulations.
Five of the eight Apple partner carriers in Canada now offer iPhone unlocking services, as Bell and Virgin join existing providers Fido, Rogers and Telus.
Alleged screenshot of internal Virgin document regarding iPhone unlocking. | Source: mobilesyrup
According to internal documents obtained by Canadian tech blog mobilesyrup, as of Monday the two carriers have started to unlock iPhones through a "launched in phased approached" that requires a one-time fee of $75.
Both Bell and Virgin are charging the same price for the handset unlock as long as the user owns the iPhone outright, is not on contract and is currently on one of the carriers' post-paid plans. No official announcement has been made, and Apple's unlocked iPhone carrier list does not yet reflect the addition of the two companies, however the publication claims that unlocking will be done through Bell Support and Virgin Mobile Support.
The "next phase" will begin in 2013 when eligibility requirements are expected to be loosened, however the documents did not offer any further details regarding the future stipulations.
Five of the eight Apple partner carriers in Canada now offer iPhone unlocking services, as Bell and Virgin join existing providers Fido, Rogers and Telus.
Comments
Originally Posted by hypercommunist
I wouldn't call 75$ "nominal".
Nor would I, but it depends on how you look at it. $199 for an iPhone and $75 for unlocking is cheaper than $549 for an unlocked iPhone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Nor would I, but it depends on how you look at it. $199 for an iPhone and $75 for unlocking is cheaper than $549 for an unlocked iPhone.
Nope, it's $75 after you have completed your contract which technically you have already paid way over the full price of the phone. This should be free. Rogers is only $50 and that is still pricey.
Originally Posted by leechbite
Nope, it's $75 after you have completed your contract…
Where does it say that?
here...
<div align="center"><img src="http://photos.appleinsidercdn.com/12.11.26-Bell.jpg" alt="Bell iPhone" width="640" height="345" border="0"></div>
Originally Posted by haar
I don't see it. "Must not be on contract" doesn't mean "You've completed a contract".
Well what are the options? If you're not in contract, you either
1) purchased the iPhone from Apple, which is unlocked
2) paid for the full phone at first, so no long-term contract, just a monthly fee
2) completed your contract (3 years here in Canada! Oh but we get the iPhone for 179$ instead of 199$ Hurray!)
3) bought your way out of the contract with the early termination fees, effectively paying for the full phone.
So it's no where near 199$ + 75$. More like 699$ + 75$.
They should all be forced to do it for free or max 20$ once you've paid for the phone.
Originally Posted by Felix Amyot
They should all be forced to do it for free or max 20$ once you've paid for the phone.
It should just sell unlocked, only unlocked, no locked models, and let the carriers subsidize to get our business.
When you get a subsidized phone with a contract, you agree to pay the contract amount (or early termination fee). You are obligated to pay that whether you use it or not. So let's say I buy an iPhone subsidized by AT&T and sign a 2 year contract that costs me $100 per month. I have to pay that whether I use my phone or not, so AT&T loses nothing if I stop using my phone on their network and jailbreak it to use it on someone else's network. In fact, since I won't be filling their pipes with my data, they come out ahead.
Now, let's take the other extreme. Let's say that I stop paying my monthly fee. In that case, it doesn't matter whether AT&T has unlocked my phone or not. If I'm not paying and they can't collect the money from me through a collection agency, then unlocking the phone doesn't make their situation any less favorable, either.
I'd go further. Once the contract has been completed, they should have to unlock it for free. AND, the monthly charges should decrease if you stay with that carrier since they're no longer paying off a subsidy.