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Japanese govt tells mobile operators to unlock Sims from May [Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates)](Emirates News Agency (WAM) (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that from May, all smartphones and tablets will have to come with unblocked Sim cards if customers ask for it, and at no cost to users, Reuters reported. The new rule will free consumers from traditional two-year contracts and give users the option to sign up for alternative plans and MVNOs. The move is also expected to push the big three - NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and SoftBank- into becoming more competitive with their pricing. MVNOs such as Aeon and Rakuten will be able to increase their market share, currently at less than 5 percent combined. The government has criticized the three carriers for giving consumers little choice over data plans, although they have held back from taking action until now. Network providers lock the Sim cards of smartphones, often sold at a discount, to prevent subscribers from breaking contracts and switching to other networks after obtaining their handsets at reduced prices. (c) 2014 Emirates News Agency (WAM) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |