Originally Posted by
Steve M
That's right. To complete the thought, why would a carrier that has sold a phone to a subscriber below cost through a subsidy want to make it possible to use the phone with another carrier?
Given that they recoup the subsidy cost via higher subscription costs, and have an early termination fee, why should they really care?
Oh, yeah, because for many people not on the upgrade roller coaster, they want to keep taking the higher subscription costs even once the phone is paid off.
Originally Posted by
boltjames
Time goes by, smartphones take over, and now its just too damn inconvenient to support multiple phones or be bothered with SIM swaps to save a few bucks. These days in the States, multiple phones or multiple SIM's are the domain of prostitutes and drug dealers for nefarious reasons.
Says you; still plenty of savings to be had getting a replacement SIM when abroad, and it's still trivial to get a phone unlocked, or to sync two smartphones if your US phone is not usable abroad (for lack of useful bands or for being CDMA-only.)
And I say that as a T-mobile customer, albeit one with an older plan than the current ones with limited free international use; paying an extra $10/month (plus pricier calls while abroad) was not a net win, despite 14-25 days abroad in 2-3 trips a year. For some people, it might be.