If you buy a locked smartphone, be it old or new, you will probably find someone who can unlock it for you. Moreover, even when you strive hard, and have already unlocked your phone via your carrier, there would have actually been many hoops that you would have had to jump through.

AT&T would allow you to unlock your device on a permanent basis, wherein you provide your contract that has already been expired. AT&T customers will usually get on contract and may unlock their devices for about 5 times in a year; moreover, this is also possible if they have been a customer for about more than 60 days.

Some of the Verizon devices have been sold unlocked, while other devices are not unlocked at all. Somehow, like AT&T, these customers have been in good standing and can request to have their devices to be unlocked for International travel.

Why did the rule change?
The primary reason cited by the Library is that, you can find several numbers of phones which are launched unlocked. Apple, as well as its carrier partners, usually sells such kind of phones unlocked. You can also consider Google’s Nexus 5 as an example as it also was launched unlocked after which retailers were able to provide consumers with all kinds of unlocked phones.

In short, the Library has decided that you don’t have any proper reason to alter the DMCA. This allows every individual to get any phone unlocked.

How affordable are unlocked phones?
Big cell companies sell contract phones at a high markup, by hiding overprice and the original price of the phone that usually gets added or rolled into your monthly cellular bill.

Most consumers don’t know that they can purchase contract-free phones. Unlocked phones can work with MVNO plans and also with several plans that cost half the price charged by major carriers.

In the US, T-Mobile has created history by becoming the first cellular carrier to not force customers to purchase multi-year contracts. With this policy shift, one can see that T-Mobile users can now buy independent, subsidized phones.