A Customer–friendly Law
The age of unnecessary payments is coming to an end. At least it has a good start. This year, as of December 1. Anyone who buys a new cell phone can demand their provider to unlock their phone for free. The CRTC announced this earlier and now their idea is coming to life. This is certainly an act that goes in favor of the customers since the reasons for having an unlocked phone are numerous.
Most of the company usually lock their mobile phones and program them to work solely with their service. Telecom companies were also charging substantial fees to unlock your phone if you want to switch providers.
This was basically impeaching the free will of the customer and limiting them to one option unless they want to pay the fee. However, this has come to an end in 2017 because the new law forbids all telecommunication companies to charge anything and forces them to unlock your phone for free.
According to the CRTC reports from March, Canadian telecoms earned more than $37 million from customers who paid the popular ‘ransom fee’ of unlocking their phone and switching providers. Now, there will be more flexibility and the competition in the telecommunication area will be healthier. The citizens of Canada will be able to switch plans and carriers as they want, without having to pay a substantial fee.
Why Should I Unlock My Smartphone
Imagine your two-year plan has ended and you want to change the provider because the other carrier offers a better deal. Before December 1st, you would have to pay a substantial fee to unlock your phone so you could change your carrier.
However, as of December 1, 2017. this service will be free of charge. This decision will bring you more flexibility and all sorts of benefits which you aren’t even aware of. This is a big plus and the Canadian government deserves nothing but praise for this move.
And if it’s not enough for you or you don’t believe the government looks after you,
here are 8 reasons why you should unlock your phone:
Travelling Abroad (flying to Israel for example 🙂
You wouldn’t believe the expenses you’ll have if you add an international travel plan to your local carrier’s sim card. Basic surfing won’t cost that much but what if you want to send some pictures or post them to your Instagram profile? The only option you’ll have Is adding a temporary plan to your carrier’s account. But if you have an unlocked phone, you can either use other providers such as SIMpatic Israeli Sim Card or simply buy a localized SIM card.
One of these two options will enable you to surf as you did back home without having to pay high charges on your monthly plan.
One more aspect that will make your phone usable all over the world is enabling tri/quad band functionality. Besides making your smartphone usable all over the world, you’ll be able to sell it almost anywhere around the globe with a sim-free label!
Save on Roaming Costs
As you can see, it’s quite useful to have an unlocked phone and the main reason is massive savings you’ll achieve when traveling abroad. Of course, the first condition for buying any SIM card other than the one your carrier has assigned to you is to have an unlocked phone. Canada has enabled you to unlock your phone for free and this should prove to be an extraordinary move by Canadian authorities.
For example, if you’re traveling to Israel, it would be best for you if you had SIMpatic Israeli Sim Card. But even if you purchase one and pay all the needed expenses, you won’t be able to use it if your phone is locked by your carrier. That’s why the best way to travel to Israel is with Simpatic sim card and an unlocked phone! That’s why SIMpatic has enabled you to purchase your SIM card as soon as you arrive in Israel or even in Toronto and a couple of locations in the US.
It’s Completely Free
One of the main advantages of this option is that it’s completely and utterly free. The companies’ policies have nothing to do with it anymore. They have to unlock your phone for free if you ask them to.
There are still low-cost options for unlocking your phone online but they will become quite futile as of December 1st when the law comes to action.
Some of the carriers are able to unlock your phone automatically but some require a bit of paperwork. The new rules apply to each and every carrier in the country so if anyone tries to drag you away from unlocking your phone, make sure you contact the authorities responsible for telecommunication services in Canada.
It’s Damage Free
There are some beliefs that unlocking your phone may harm the device but it’s a completely false statement. It’s a simple process that won’t affect your phone in no other way besides enabling you to use a different carrier.
However, don’t confuse unlocking with jailbreaking. These two are completely different. Unlocking your phone is pretty simple and can’t harm your phone in any way. Jailbreaking probably won’t harm your phone but there’s a risk. Unlocking is a risk-free option and a quite useful one as well.
Selling the Phone
Buying a new phone is always the safest options but in most cases, it is locked by the carrier where you’re buying it. That’s why we advise you to always check if the phone was stolen or reported lost. This process is easier when the phone is unlocked.
If you’re buying a new smartphone, you should consider finding an unlocked one because as you can see on all of the websites where people re-sell their used smartphones, the sim-free models are always more expensive than the locked ones.
This means that you can ask for more money if your phone is unlocked. The sim-free options logically attract more customers since you’re not limited to the ones using a specific carrier. When a phone is unlocked, it is compatible with almost every network and it significantly increases your chances of selling this product.
Switching Your Provider
Telecom services in Canada are quite good so consequently, the competition is fierce. Each customer matters and that’s why the provider wants to keep you in their system even after your two-year plan(e.g) has ended.
Probably the best way they have is by locking your phone so you can’t switch between carriers without having to buy a substantial fee. The company will try to persuade you to extend the contract and remain faithful to them but the new law takes away the main dirty trick they had up their sleeves.
Even though the option of buying a phone with a two-year contract is better for your wallet, signing a contract like that leaves you ‘vulnerable’ to all onerous charges by your carrier. By getting an unlocked phone, you save yourself from early termination fees and other charges which may occur if you want to terminate the contract with your provider.
Buying/having an unlocked phone relieves you from the burden of dubious contracts your carrier might use against you. The carriers used to put discounts and sell the locked phones cheaper, but that will probably end now.
Test The Waters
The provider can still sell you a locked phone but if you want to replace them, you can ask them to unlock your phone free of charge. This gives you, as a customer, so many different options. You can test the waters and think about changing carriers.
You can mull over the offers and you can even try out a SIM card from one of the carriers just to see how it works. Even if the service of certain provider changes, you won’t be forced to stay with this carrier in order to avoid paying a fee. You won’t know the true value of having freedom of choice until it happens to you.
All of the options above, including the option of taking your new SIM to a trial run, are only available if the phone is unlocked. We suggest you unlock your phone and try our SIMpatic’s Israel Sim card before going to Israel to see how great it is.
Repairing Your Phone
If your phone becomes unusable because of a cracked screen, you can easily load your backup version of iOS or Android and use your SIM card in another phone. Of course, if the other phone is unlocked.
Dual SIM
Most of the smartphones today have an option of DUAL SIM which means that you can have two SIM cards and use them simultaneously. If your phone is locked, both of the SIM cards have to be from the same provider and that doesn’t offer you the flexibility you want. If you unlock your phone, you’ll get the ability to separate work-related calls from calls directed to your friends and family with a simple click of a button.
Back to traveling to Israel. If you’re expecting an important call or you must be available for calls even during your holiday, simply place your provider’s SIM card and SIMpatic Sim card for Israel to both save money and stay available for calls at all times. This gives you utter control of your smartphone and it’s a great reason to have an unlocked phone!
More Reasons to Unlock Your Phone
The eight reason is not actually a single reason to unlock your phone. It’s rather a number of small advantages you get over the people with locked phones. First of all, you’ll be given a preference when it comes to finding a job. It’s easier for large corporations to change your provider into the one they have a contract with.
There are no possible security risks and they gain easier control over your device and provisioning. Finally, one of the most important aspects is the freedom of choice. Having an unlocked or locked phone should be a decision you make, not your carrier. We suggest you should unlock it but if all these reasons aren’t enough for you, you can choose to leave your phone locked.
Final Summation
All in all, having an unlocked phone offers an abundance of benefits to the customers and the law that will become active as of December 1st is certainly a step ahead in the telecommunications world. If you bought a phone for a cheap two-year deal, chances are high that the phone is locked and you’re deprived of many benefits.
The benefits ranging from avoiding to pay roaming fees and the flexibility you get when you have an unlocked phone with the higher amount you’ll get if you ever wish to sell your phone. In our opinion, unlocking your phone is a reasonable thing to do and now you know why should do so.
