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Londra Gazete, Thursday 29 October 2020 LondraGazete.com/English 7

Mobile networks will be banned

from selling locked phones

THE UK's mobile networks
are to be forbidden from selling
phones locked to their services
from December 2021.
Regulator Ofcom said unlocking
handsets could often be a compli-
cated process, and this was dis-
couraging owners from switching
providers at the end of their con-
tracts.
The networks have previous-
ly suggested that locking devices
HSBC says it could charge for helps deter theft and fraud.
But the watchdog noted some
current accounts companies had already abandoned
the practice.
Among those companies affected
EUROPE'S biggest bank, UK .
HSBC, has said it could start charg- But they added: "We always keep are, BT and its EE mobile division,
ing for "basic banking services" in under review the pricing for our Vodafone and Tesco Mobile. O2,
some countries after it reported a standard current accounts and as- Sky, Three and Virgin already only
35% fall in quarterly profits. sociated services." sell unlocked handsets. These can include facing a long compliant with wider European
It said it was considering charg- Very few banks charge for stand- "[It] will save people time, money wait to receive the code needed rules, but Ofcom noted that it was
ing for products such as current ard bank accounts, but experts say and effort - and help them unlock to trigger the process, as well as already looking into the problem
accounts, which are free to UK cus- this could change if the UK falls better deals," said Ofcom's connec- then finding that the code does not before the EU introduced the reg-
tomers. into negative interest rates due to tivity director Selina Chadha. work. ulations in 2018.
The banks said it was losing mon- the pandemic. It typically costs about £10 to The regulator added that some The UK government has said it
ey on a "large number" of such ac- That would see the Bank of Eng- get a smartphone unlocked to let it owners do not realise their devices
counts. Speaking with the BBC a land take interest rates below zero work on any network. However, ac- are locked in the first place, caus- will adhere to the European Elec-
HSBC spokesman said it was com- to help boost consumer spending cording to a study by Ofcom, about ing them to suffer a loss of service tronic Communications Code,
mitted to continuing to provide and the economy. half of all those who try to do so when they try to switch. despite planning to complete the
free "basic bank accounts" in the enalty points and a £200 fine. experience difficulties. The ban means the UK remains Brexit transition period this year.