Sprint: Unlock Yourself on the Way Out

A class-action lawsuit may soon free Sprint phones from the Sprint network, when the company begins providing unlock codes with service terminations.

Disgruntled Sprint users could soon thank a class-action lawsuit for the freedom their provider may be legally compelled to give them: providing unlock codes to customers who terminate service so they can use their phones on other carriers.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that Sprint proposed the deal in order to settle a year-old class-action lawsuit in California, where customers claimed Sprint’s locking practices were anticompetitive. The practice of software locking prevents phone owners from migrating from one network to another, even if the networks use the same technology.

If it passes final approval, the settlement will apply to all Sprint phones purchased between August 28, 1999 and July 16, 2007. Even customers who have already terminated service will have access to their phones’ unlocking codes, so long as all of their bills are paid. Sprint will also change its terms of service to let new customers know their rights.