AT&T agrees to unlock any handset (except for iPhones, sorry)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
As a result of a class-action lawsuit settlement (pre-trial), AT&T has agreed to unlock any phones in its customer base, with some caveats. One of those is basically, no iPhones.
Pre-paid customers must provide proof of purchase, while subscribers are required to have their accounts in good standing and have "completed a minimum of 90 days of active service." That's pretty typical; T-Mobile has a 90 day requirement as well. Customers may request 5 unlock codes per year.
Ah, but herein lies the rub. Additionally, the documents state that "For AT&T Handsets for which AT&T Mobility has an exclusive sales arrangement with a manufacturer of less than 10 months, the period of exclusivity associated with that sale must have expired before an unlocking code can be obtained."
Oh, oh, you might ask. What about phones for which there is rumored to be continued exclusivity until 2012 (like the iPhone). You will, in that case, be out of luck. If you are surprised, you shouldn't be.