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UK regulator Ofcom bans sale of network-locked handsets from December 2021
UK media regulator Ofcom has announced a ban on the sale of mobile devices locked to a single network in an attempt to make switching easier.
Carriers in the UK will be banned from selling handsets locked to their network from next year. Media regulator Ofcom announced the rule change, citing the need to encourage network switching (via the BBC). At present, although UK networks can still apply a network lock to devices sold through their retail operations many have switched to selling unlocked generic versions already, including O2, Three, Sky Mobile, and Virgin Mobile. The remaining major networks - EE/BT, Vodafone, and Tesco Mobile sell a combination of locked and unlocked handsets.