Feedback Request: Email, Cell Phone Unlocking
The Regulatory Authority of Bermuda is asking for the public’s help with two projects – email mobility and cell phone unlocking.
It has published on its webpage, www.rab.bm, consultation documents asking any member of the public who has an interest to submit his or her views on each of these proposals, by September 30th.
In the case of cell phone locking, it has posed three questions to which it invites answers.They are:
- Do you view locking of cell phones as a hindrance to competition?
- Do you view locking of cell phones as an obstacle to mobile number portability?
- Do you agree with the RA’s proposed decision? (This is essentially to allow a cell phone bought from one of the cell phone companies at a subsidized price to be unlocked after 30 days of service, and to allow a cell phone bought at an unsubsidised price to be unlocked at any time.)
In the case of email mobility, the Authority invites comment on its proposal to oblige internet service providers to forward mail from a customer’s old email address to the new for six months without charge when the customer switches providers. The RA proposes to oblige ISPs to extend that service, for a fee, indefinitely.
It proposes to oblige ISPs to issue an automated notification message informing emailers of the address change, including details of the new address. And it proposes to oblige ISPs to retain the customer’s old address, unused, for a period of one year following a migration.
Philip Micallef, CEO of the Regulatory Authority says the organisation will value every submission.
“We are very interested in people’s views, and do not want to impose the way we think on Bermuda if Bermuda sees things a different way,” said Mr Micallef.
“People can write in to me at the Authority by email, or through the Post Office. The consultation documents are available free of charge on our website, as are address details.”
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At the prices people pay for phones here, the damn things should come unlocked to begin with.
100% AGREED!
I second that. When the cheapest “DECENT PHONE” is around 500-900 dollars. You shouldnt be stuck to a contract or be locked.
Digi sell lock their phones
Cellone do not….
Nuff said.
I don’t understand why it matters if phones are unlocked or not. If you are switching carriers don’t they give you a trade in discount or something? (Can you tell I have an unlocked phone from Cellone?)
Try putting a sim from a different carrier in it or search how to check. Depending on the phone, there’s a number of different ways to check.
These low budget cellphones that cellone and digicel import are crap. They freeze, fall apart and are only good for one or 2 years use just before your contract ends. And don’t talk about the reception, we all might as well have color coded flares to fire off to let the other party know someone’s trying to locate them…SMDH Customer should be reimbursed for every time theres a dropped call or no signal.
Unlocked phones are essential if you spend any time overseas and want to substitute a chip from your host country for the duration of your stay. (I used to carry 2 phones, but found that keeping my Digicel phone on while traveling was a serious problem – frequent SMS messages reminding me to use their service – some (due to the time difference – arriving at 2:00 and 3:00 AM!! In the end I just did without my Bermuda cel phone entirely.
The other thing the RA should be looking at is portability of cel numbers: in Bermuda if you change carriers you have to change cel number. Elsewhere in the ‘real’ world you can transfer your cel number to the new carrier, no problem!!!
@whistling frog I cracked up reading this thanks for the laugh LOVE IT and yup we must as well cause between digi and cellone neither are good with their service.
Agreed!!!!!! I miss M3
Check our http://www.rab.bm under Requests tab. Digicel engineer requesting a new frequency because their current System is inferior to CellOne and they need help to save their customers from switching.
Locking phones is just another control….
As a student who frequently travels to and from the island an unlocked phone is extremely important. Every time I return to the island I have to go my entire stay without a phone because neither carrier wanted to or could place my phone on their system. However, shout out to Sprint for having those international S4s and with all the open wifi connections on the island I can check whatsapp, skype and monitor my social network sites until my little heart’s content.
Side note: instead of talking about locked or unlocked can we talk about the pricing on phones on the island??? All we want to do is communicate effectively with each other not decide whether to give up a kidney or get a phone.
A lot of Cell phone carriers in the USA GIVE you a UNLOCKED phone with a 2 year contract, Not here they charge you anywhere from $500 to $700 for the same (LOCKED)phone
Ripping us off for services as BTC has being doing for the last 100 years:(
I unlocked my digicel phone last year for $9.95 and I am so not a techie.
Phones should be UNLOCKED with the keys thrown away.
ps I would have liked to have seen the email address to write and voice my opinion…
info@rab.bm or http://www.rab.bm
I live in the US. I know that cell carriers here get subsidies from phone manufacturers who carry their devices. Cel, carriers make their money on the monthly service charges that customers pay. In Bermuda, their doesn’t appear to be any such concession to carriers on the cost of devices. Hence, the customer pays full price for phones. At that price, customers should get unlocked phones!