2007 25
Mobile Operators Liberator
Published by MartinVarsavsky.net in General with No Comments
This is the liberator limo, it goes around Madrid promoting the services of Liberalia, a company that unlocks all the phones that operators provide lock so you don´t go to their competition. Personally, I am happy that this has not been made ilegal in Spain. I believe that handset subsidies distort the mobile market and lead to a lack of competition.
Same happens in the States. For example, when I bought my iPhone, one of the things I criticized the most was that it is locked to use it only with AT&T. That is why I am happy to find out that George Hotz (17 years old from New Jersey) figured out how to unlock the iPhone and use it with other companies. The hack seems to be complicated though, and requires techie skills since missteps may result in the iPhone becoming useless.
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Wessel on August 26, 2007 ·
Some guys actually claim to have made a software hack for the iPhone which gets it sim lock free without soldering.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/24/iphone-unlocked-atandt-loses-iphone-exclusivity-august-24-2007/
iphonesimfree.com
Henrik Ahlen on August 26, 2007 ·
Yes, subsidizing and locking mobiles indeed restricts competition and it is sad that the general puhlic do not see this and demand from politicians to make it illegal.
I am even more frustrated that Apple seems to be getting away with locking their phones to local operators also in Europe. The media is full of speculation of which operator that will manage to get a deal with Apple to sell Iphones.
But not one article mentions that this is not a good idea for the consumers!
So join the “Free the iPhone” group on Facebook and make your voice heard!
Antoin O Lachtnain on August 29, 2007 ·
To sell phones, you have to do deals with operators. That’s just how it is. It might be cool to sell phones sim-free, but you won’t get any volume out of it, at least the way the market is structured at the moment.
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Jan Farrell on August 25, 2007 ·
Hello, nice to see feedback on our limo!! Unlocking in Spain is in fact not illegal, so long as you do not make unauthorised modifications to the software, and the phone is property of the client! Locking phones is certailny illegal according to European anti-monopoly laws. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us!), mobile phone operators can afford to pay any fines imposed on them for these common acts. Anything you need just contact us at (+34) 91 659 2004.
Thanks!
Jan Farrell
LIBERALIA