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Verizon is asking the Federal Communications Commission to let the new locked smartphones on its network for 60 days, as part of an initiative to prevent identity theft and fraud. After 60 days, the phones automatically unlock, says the telecom in a note posted on its website and written by Ronan Dunne, executive vice president of Verizon. Verizon says he should have the power to do so under the "C-block rules" put in place as a result of the 2008 FCC Wireless Spectrum Auction.
"We believe this temporary lockout of new phones will protect our customers by limiting theft of identity." At the same time, a temporary lock will have virtually no impact on the ability of our legitimate customers to use their devices, "Dunne writes. "Almost none of our customers go to another carrier in the first 60 days. Even with this limited anti-fraud security check, Verizon will still maintain the industry's most user-friendly unlock policy. All of our major competitors lock their customers' new devices for a while and require them to be fully refunded before unlocking them. "
Last year, Verizon had announced the establishment of an unlock plan to better fight against fraud. The telecommunications sector remains the industry leader among the four largest in the US in terms of allowing consumers to buy unlocked phones from the start. go. But it seems he needs FCC clearance, which should not be a problem as FCC President Ajit Pai has been both supportive of telecom operators and opposed to protections. network neutrality that Verizon and other telecommunications companies have publicly opposed.
That said, Verizon is aligning with the rest of the industry. AT & T already requires your phone to be activated for 60 days to unlock, and even requires you to wait two weeks to unlock your old phone if you switch to a new one. T-Mobile requires you to wait 40 days and also limits users to two unlock per year and per line. Sprint has a 50-day limit and unlocks devices from the beginning only if the phones are prepaid.
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