Rogers will allow customers to unlock phones after 90 days, still costs $50

[ceredon]

http://mobilesyrup.com/2013/02/08/ro...till-costs-50/

One of the key points that the CRTC will be addressing next week in their draft of the Wireless Code will be device unlocking. Many carriers offer this service, but come many months into a contract period and usually at a high cost.
If you’re one of 9 million Rogers customers and wanted your device unlocked them you previously had to complete your full term contract, then pay upward of $50 (customers who purchased their wireless device at full price were able to unlock their phones at any time).

Today Rogers, in a surprise move, has just announced they’ll be changing up their unlocking policy effective March 2013. According to their post on theri corporate blog they noted that “we’ll be changing our policy so that you no longer have to wait until you complete your full term commitment – you can unlock 90 days after activating your device on the Rogers network. We’re also making it even easier for you to have your phone unlocked by bringing it to any of our Rogers retail stores.”

No word on the exact date in March this will go into place, but the cost has not changed at $50.

Nice move. Finally.

From Rogers

We get a lot of questions here on RedBoard about device unlocking. How does it work? What are the restrictions? What does unlocking even mean?

Here’s a quick guide.

So what is unlocking anyway?

By unlocking your phone, you can use your wireless device with a SIM card from another mobile carrier. This is a great benefit to customers spending extended time away in other countries that need to stay connected.

What are the restrictions?

When you purchase a wireless device on a new or existing Rogers account at full price, you are eligible to unlock it immediately.

For those customers who are under a term commitment, we have made some changes to our device unlocking policy to give you more flexibility in the way you use your wireless device. In March 2013, we’ll be changing our policy so that you no longer have to wait until you complete your full term commitment – you can unlock 90 days after activating your device on the Rogers network. We’re also making it even easier for you to have your phone unlocked by bringing it to any of our Rogers retail stores.

How much will it cost?

You can unlock your device for $50 plus applicable taxes.

[Kaiu]

Haha any idea if Fido would be included or will follow suit?

[ceredon]

Haha any idea if Fido would be included or will follow suit?

No word but I expect so. They have mirrored the same unlock policies for while.

[al3x89]

I am okay with paying $50

[shushwap]

That is huge for Rogers customers... Hopefully this will put pressure on Bell now as well

[Keas]

they can make a bundle off 50$ a phone with this policy instead of having people pay 15$ from another place/website. it is actually a very smart move on their part since people would be unlocking the phone anyways and now they wont have to worry about an unknown site.

[shushwap]

Haha any idea if Fido would be included or will follow suit?

Update says it is for Fido and Chatr as well

[AncasterRFD]

Thanks and thanked, ceredon!

[icemasta]

Definitely a move in the right direction but $50!?!?

I still am hopeful phones will be sold unlocked from carriers. I mean if you sign a contract, you still need to either fulfill your contract or pay out the remaining subsidy, or you buy it outright at the MSRP. In any of those instances the carrier gets the money that was owed to them. It wouldn't matter when the phone was unlocked but obviously preferable to consumer to be manufacturer unlocked from the start.

[dragon_drift]

I guess my iPhone 4 is eligible for sure then.

[ceredon]

Definitely a move in the right direction but $50!?!?

I still am hopeful phones will be sold unlocked from carriers. I mean if you sign a contract, you still need to either fulfill your contract or pay out the remaining subsidy, or you buy it outright as the MSRP. In any of those instances the carrier gets the money that was owned to them. It wouldn't matter when the phone was unlocked but obviously preferable to consumer to be manufacturer unlocked from the start.

Exactly. And while I don't like the idea of the charging $50, or anything at all really, for the unlock, it was completely asinine for them to refuse unlocks until the end of contracts. They were just throwing away free money from people willing to pay them for the privilege having a defect removed from their phone.

I guess my iPhone 4 is eligible for sure then.

Depending on whether you bought it at launch, it would probably be eligible soon under the old policy anyway

[lg777]

You don't know how many times I challenged Roger's about their unlocking policy for my iPhone. I wanted a nice clean unlock, no gevey or software unlock. Willing to pay and stay on my contract but they wouldn't budge. Went to escalate to their office of the president or something like that and got calls back with no luck. Had to finally do a HUP. After all that, they finally make the change.

[infamouskid]

this is probably the smartest move they have made in a long time.
i mean those new plans they just introduced are a joke.

[Mulder and Scully]

How is this different from the old unlocking cost of $13 per month until the end of your subsidized phone contract + $50 fee?

Rogers isn't just going to charge you 90 days + $50 fee to unlock a subsidized phone. And if you're buying a phone outright then why in your sane mind are you buying it directly from Rogers locked and not online (e.g., NCIX) or elsewhere that sells the phone factory unlocked?

[shushwap]

How is this different from the old unlocking cost of $13 per month until the end of your subsidized phone contract + $50 fee?

Rogers isn't just going to charge you 90 days + $50 fee to unlock a subsidized phone. And if you're buying a phone outright then why in your sane mind are you buying it directly from Rogers locked and not online (e.g., NCIX) or elsewhere that sells the phone factory unlocked?

How is this different ?
I think you need to re read it again... Soon you will be able to unlock your phone after 90 days for a $50 fee.... This is huge for IPhone lovers