Question: do phone companies have to unlock your phone uk

Answer: No, In the United Kingdom, mobile phone network providers are not obliged to provide unlocking, even after the end of the contract. Ofcom, UK's telecom regulator, allowed 3 UK to sell a mobile phone with the SIM card permanently superglued to the phone. Most operators offer some form of unlocking service, depending on the state of the contract and the model of phone, but usually for a charge. The full Oftel 2002 SIM-lock position paper specifies that there is no SIM-locking law in the UK; the regulator wants only ``consumer awareness''. The examples within the position paper are just ``examples'' of current carrier practices for illustration purposes, but do not reflect any official Oftel regulation. The main networks often agree to unlock handsets for a charge, either at the end of a contract or, for prepaid handsets, after several months. Some Blackberry handsets supplied by Vodafone (e.g., Storm) are examples of a UK carrier not offering unlocking codes. As of April 2011 O will unlock any of their pay-monthly phones for free, even if they're still in contract, with the exception of handsets made exclusively for them, such as their Palm devices. Carphone Warehouse, one of the largest UK phone retailers, offers unlocked phones with most PAYG deals. As of January 1st 2014 all phones sold by 3 UK are unlocked. Phones bought before this date will be unlocked for free.