(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Verizon is facing backlash over its efforts to keep phones locked, with some consumers pointing out the restriction threatens to block their access to rival T-Mobile’s cellular Starlink service.
“Permanent locks would make it harder for consumers to switch carriers, use dual-SIM features, or take advantage of emerging services like SpaceX’s Starlink Cellular,” one consumer told the US Federal Communications Commission this week.
Consumers are filing the complaints after Verizon asked the FCC for a waiver to let it keep carrier-sold phones locked beyond 60 days. Under its current FCC agreement, Verizon can only lock a phone to its network for two months. But the company now claims the restriction isn’t enough to stop fraudsters from buying subsidized Verizon phones only to unlock and resell them
“Verizon estimates that it lost 784,703 devices to fraud in 2023, costing it hundreds of millions of dollars annually,” the company told the FCC in May while noting other carriers, such as AT&T and T-Mobile, face no such restriction. (Verizon faces the 60-day limit as part of a 2008 deal to license 700MHz spectrum as well as acquire Tracfone in 2020.)
Locking phones means they only work on Verizon’s network. The carrier has suggested it wants to do so for six months or longer. In response, the commission is soliciting public comment on the proposal, which caused some consumers to criticize Verizon's effort.
Interestingly, some of the comments cite T-Mobile’s cellular Starlink service as a reason for the FCC to deny Verizon’s waiver. That’s because the T-Mobile satellite service is designed to work for customers on its own network and those on rival carriers, including Verizon and AT&T.
(Credit: PCMag/Michael Kan)To do so, T-Mobile has been issuing access to the cellular Starlink service through a secondary eSIM, which can work alongside a phone’s main SIM card. The phone can then switch to Starlink's mobile satellite network once you enter a cellular dead zone. T-Mobile plans on officially launching the T-Satellite service on July 23, selling it for $10 per month for most users. However, Verizon’s phone locking push would presumably shut down an affected handset’s ability to access an eSIM from another carrier.
It’s why some consumers are urging the FCC to deny Verizon’s request for a waiver. “Dual-SIM adds public safety by allowing people to use two networks, including Satellite networks like SpaceX's Starlink on T-Mobile, which will have an a la carte plan soon,” wrote one consumer.
This comes after some users took to Reddit, urging the public to push back on Verizon’s effort to lock phones beyond 60 days. Even T-Mobile users joined in, fearing all carriers might pursue longer phone-locking policies if the FCC grants the waiver.
Last year, the Democratic-led FCC pushed to require all cellular providers “to unlock customers’ mobile phones within 60 days of activation.” But whether the FCC, under new chairman Brendan Carr, will continue pursuing the rule remains unclear, although he voted in support of the initial inquiry.