Ofcom plans ban on mobile firms selling locked phones Add to Your Pages
17 December 2019
New rules also proposed to make broadband switching easier
Mobile phone companies would be banned from selling locked handsets, under a range of new plans from Ofcom to make switching even simpler.
Companies including BT/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone still sell mobile phones that cannot be used on other networks unless they are unlocked, which can cost around £10. Ofcom research has found that more than a third of people who decided against switching said this put them off.[1]
Nearly half of customers who try to unlock their device find it difficult. For example, they may experience a long delay before getting the code they need to unlock their device; they might be given a code that does not work; or they could suffer a loss of service if they did not realise their device was locked before they tried to switch.
So we are proposing to ban mobile companies from selling locked phones, allowing people to move to a different network with their existing handset, hassle-free.
This follows major reforms, introduced in July, that mean mobile customers can now switch operator by simply sending a free text message.
Lindsey Fussell, Ofcoms Consumer Group Director, said: Switching mobile provider can be really frustrating.
By freeing mobile users from locked handsets, our plans would save people time, effort and money and help them unlock a better deal.
Simpler broadband switchingOfcom is also planning to make it easier to switch between broadband networks, as part of a broad package of protections for customers that reflect new European rules.[2]
At present, customers switching between providers such as BT, Sky and TalkTalk on Openreach's copper network can already follow a simple process, where their new provider manages the switch.
But this has not been available to customers moving to a different broadband network such as CityFibre, Gigaclear, Hyperoptic or Virgin Media. These customers need to contact both their existing and new provider to co-ordinate the switch and make sure there is no gap between the old service ending and the new one starting.
Our research shows that more than four in ten people (43%) who decide against switching do so because they are worried about arranging two different services to start and end at the right time. More than a third (37%) are put off by having to speak to two different companies. And a similar number (35%) worry about having to pay their old and new provider at the same time.[3]
Under our proposed new rules, switching would be made easier for all broadband customers, whether they are switching between different networks, or a full-fibre service on the same network.
Providers would also have to compensate customers if things go wrong and they are left without a service for more than one working day. And we are proposing to ban notice-period charges beyond the switch date.[4]
999 video calls for sign language callsAs a further action to ensure fairness for customers, we are proposing new rules that will mean British Sign Language users can contact the emergency services using video calls.
Under these proposals, an interpreter in a call centre would translate between British Sign Language and English. The service would be free and available 24/7 helping to make emergency communications faster and more accurate for both deaf users and the emergency services.[5]
Fairness for customersOfcom has an extensive programme to help people shop around with confidence, make informed choices, switch easily and get a fair deal. This also includes:
From February next year, broadband, phone and TV customers must be told when their initial contract is coming to an end, and shown the best deals available. People who choose to stay with their provider without signing up to a new contract will be given details of their firm's best deals every year.[6]
Clear, honest information for broadband shoppers before they commit to a contract about what speeds they will get.
Fairer pricing. Following our reviews of both broadband and mobile pricing, a number of the UK's biggest broadband and mobile companies have committed to fairer prices for customers whose initial deal has ended.
We regularly shine a light on which major telecoms and pay TV providers are best and worst for customer service.
We are also today consulting on changes to our accreditation scheme for price comparison tools, to make sure they continue to work for customers in the digital market.
NOTES TO EDITORS
O2, Sky, Three and Virgin all choose to sell unlocked devices to their customers.
Today's proposals are part of our work to implement the new European Electronic Communications Code (EECC). It entered into force on 20 December 2018 and EU member states have until 21 December 2020 to transpose it into national law. Other elements of the code that we are proposing to implement include changes to the information customers receive before they agree a contract, and their right to exit a contract before its end date.
Ofcom switching experience tracker 2018. The data refers to people who bundle their landline and broadband services together, those who package their pay TV with these two services, and customers who buy their pay TV separately.
In July, we banned mobile providers from charging for notice periods running after the switch date. We are now looking to extend this to broadband switching.
We have published information in British Sign Language about our proposals, and also welcome responses to our consultation using sign language.
All customers who are not within a fixed term contract, like pay-as-you-go and SIM-only customers, will also get these annual notices.
Add to Your Pages
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
03/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has opened a docket for comments on the proposed $6.2 billion Nexstar acquisition for Tegna and set deadlines f...
03/12/2025
MILAN, Italy Brightcove has released seven new features designed to expand global reach, improve audience engagement, enhance live-streaming quality and streaml...
03/12/2025
NEW YORK Great American Media said it plans to launch Pure Flix Familia, a dedicated Spanish-language platform, in 2026....
03/12/2025
SOUTHPORT, Conn. Main Street Sports Group has announced that the FanDuel Sports Network app is now available directly on Vizio and on smart TVs with Vizio OS. T...
03/12/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Telia, the second-largest telecom operator in Norway, is modernizing its broadband network with the company's c...
03/12/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. Sinclair said Jay Zollar, vice president and general manager of WLUK-WCWF here, will retire Dec. 31 after 26 years running the stations. Station...
02/12/2025
Case Study: How Mid-Atlantic Sports Network Moved to All-IP Distribution in 60 D...
02/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Lee Corso, Coach, Commentator, FirebrandBy Ken Kerschbaumer
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | S...
02/12/2025
SVG All-Stars: Dan Nabors, Senior Director, Remote Engineering, TNT SportsThe veteran tech leader is helping guide Warner Bros. Discovery's at-home' re...
02/12/2025
National Lacrosse League Opens Season With New Cloud-Based Official Replay-Revie...
02/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: The Cinematic Look in Live Production - Bridging Aesthetic...
02/12/2025
SVG India Announces Advisory Board; JioStar's Prashant Khanna Named ChairmanBy Ken Kerschbaumer
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 11:15 am
Print This Story |...
02/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: New AI Production Tools Workshop' Features ESPN, F...
02/12/2025
Written and directed by Hailey Gates, Atropia won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival....
02/12/2025
The lightweight and highly portable CORVUS-RAVEN, recently demonstrated at the V...
02/12/2025
The lightweight, rugged Panther 2 tri-band VSAT delivers high-speed data communications for Internet, VPN connectivity and video transmission over commercial an...
02/12/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
02/12/2025
NGID volunteers in the United States
NGID volunteers in Mexico
NGID volunteers in India
NGID volunteers in Spain
NGID volunteers in Australia
NGID voluntee...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has issued a reminder that stations in DMAs 111 through 120 must implement its audio descrip...
02/12/2025
SAN DIEGO Sony Electronics today introduced the Alpha 7 V (ILCE-7M5), the fifth generation of its Alpha 7 full-frame mirrorless lineup, powered by the newly dev...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has opened a docket for comments on Nexstar Media Group's proposed $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna and se...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The National Association of Broadcasters has added a trio of media executives, Veronica Rodriguez, Matt Schnaars and Jeff Warshaw, to its board of di...
02/12/2025
MILAN, Italy Brightcove has released seven new features designed to expand global reach, improve audience engagement, enhance live-streaming quality and streaml...
02/12/2025
BCNEXXT, the developers of the advanced playout platform Vipe, today announced a new Service Provider Partner agreement with NPC Media, the Australian managed p...
02/12/2025
DPA Microphones today announces the immediate availability of its new N-Series Digital Wireless Microphone System for customers throughout the U.S. In addition ...
02/12/2025
Hiltron Communications reports a well attended and successful Space Tech Expo exhibition, held at the Messe Bremen from Tuesday November 18 through Thursday Nov...
02/12/2025
The beginning of September saw Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust, in association with Channel 9 and Triple M, kick off the 2025 Brisbane Festival in spec...
02/12/2025
SGM Lighting is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with ACT Entertainment, under which ACT will serve as the exclusive distributor for SGM's ne...
02/12/2025
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that Telia, the second largest telecom operator in Norway, is modernizing its broadband network with the company's i...
02/12/2025
European cloud data protection specialist Keepit is expanding its sales network in the DACH region and has gained TIM AG, one of the leading value-added distrib...
02/12/2025
Featured products at ISE 2026
This year s ISE 2026 theme "Push Beyond" reflects Calrec s direction of travel. The company is dedicated to supporting the AV an...
02/12/2025
Czech Television, the national public broadcaster, has deployed one of the largest LiveU live production projects in the region for live sports and news coverag...
02/12/2025
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, has announced the release of v8.2 software for its ZEN and ZEN-W Series, bringing advanced cinematic camera se...
02/12/2025
Global provider of video streaming software and services, Accedo, and OTT platform provider, Magine Pro, have signed a binding agreement to carve out and merge ...
02/12/2025
With proven success in broadcast, OTT, and content supply chains, K.S Avinash set to scale Skandha's service-first approach across APAC
Skandha Media Servi...
02/12/2025
AJA Video Systems has joined the RAVENNA community, a network of partners devoted to advancing the RAVENNA standard for distributing real-time audio over intern...
02/12/2025
HUNT VALLEY, Md. Sinclair and its wholly-owned subsidiary One Media Technologies have released a new report focused on how ATSC 3.0, the IP-based NextGen TV sta...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau has issued a reminder that stations in DMAs 111 through 120 must implement its audio descrip...
02/12/2025
WASHINGTON Members of the Advanced Television Systems Committee have elected four industry veterans to three-year terms on the organization's board of direc...
02/12/2025
A new survey from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan highlights how important social media is for younger consumers, with Gen Z spending 5.1 hours a day on so...
02/12/2025
Faculty Notes: Fall/Winter 2025 Recent accomplishments, releases, and events by Berklee faculty.
December 1, 2025
By
Editorial Staff
The cast of Kind of M...
02/12/2025
Today, Mistral AI announced the Mistral 3 family of open-source multilingual, multimodal models, optimized across NVIDIA supercomputing and edge platforms.
M...
02/12/2025
Ring In The Holidays With Our Biggest Sale Ever On Ivory II Pianos!From now until December 31st, you can save 50% or more on every Ivory II piano and collection...
02/12/2025
Back to All News
Made in America: How Stranger Things' Electrified the US Economy
Entertainment
02 December 2025
GlobalUnited States
Link copied to cl...
02/12/2025
Back to All News
Culinary Class Wars' Season 2 Trailer Teases New Rules, R...
02/12/2025
--
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Telecommunication Unio...
02/12/2025
Harmonic's cOS Platform Will Redefine Subscribers' Quality of Experience, Lowering Churn SAN JOSE, Calif. - Dec. 2, 2025 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today...
02/12/2025
At AWS re:Invent, NVIDIA and Amazon Web Services expanded their strategic collab...
Ofcom plans ban on mobile firms selling locked phones Add to Your Pages 
