TTBOMK it's only pay-as-you-go phones that are locked to a particular operator, not phones on a contract (after all, you still have to pay line rental whether or not you actually make any calls, download any data or send any texts; with a pay-as-you-go phone, there is *no* line rental so the telco could lose out if it was easy for you to walk away). My old Nokia 3210 (now there was a classic handset!) on Vodafone Contract would take any old SIM you cared to stick in it; other people's pay-as-you-go phones, even on Vodafone, consistently refused to accept my contract SIM. When its battery no longer held enough charge to carry on a proper conversation, I upgraded to a second-hand Sony Ericsson w810i which the previous owner assured me had originally been bought SIM-free. I've also seen plenty of Vodafone-labelled phones on Orange and O2.
At any rate, the lockdown is hardly very tight: unlocking software seems to be widely available for most phones. Shops which sell bare SIMs will even unlock competitors' handsets to work on their networks.
European law generally favours a consumer's right to do as they choose with products they have bought and paid for, and takes a dim view of manufacturers seeking to impose artificial restrictions on other people's property.
Register
Unlocking phones
TTBOMK it's only pay-as-you-go phones that are locked to a particular operator, not phones on a contract (after all, you still have to pay line rental whether or not you actually make any calls, download any data or send any texts; with a pay-as-you-go phone, there is *no* line rental so the telco could lose out if it was easy for you to walk away). My old Nokia 3210 (now there was a classic handset!) on Vodafone Contract would take any old SIM you cared to stick in it; other people's pay-as-you-go phones, even on Vodafone, consistently refused to accept my contract SIM. When its battery no longer held enough charge to carry on a proper conversation, I upgraded to a second-hand Sony Ericsson w810i which the previous owner assured me had originally been bought SIM-free. I've also seen plenty of Vodafone-labelled phones on Orange and O2.
At any rate, the lockdown is hardly very tight: unlocking software seems to be widely available for most phones. Shops which sell bare SIMs will even unlock competitors' handsets to work on their networks.
European law generally favours a consumer's right to do as they choose with products they have bought and paid for, and takes a dim view of manufacturers seeking to impose artificial restrictions on other people's property.