Verizon will start locking phones to its network to prevent armed robberies
Verizon Wireless will soon begin locking the phones it sells to customers, a move that will prevent the phones from being activated on any other carrier's network. But Verizon says it is taking this measure to deter theft that occurs before customers purchase phones, and that Verizon will unlock the phones for customers after they're purchased.
What isn't clear is how long customers will have to wait before the phones are unlocked, and exactly what steps customer will have to take to do the unlocking. Verizon says its stores have been victimized by increasingly frequent armed robberies.
Verizon isn't allowed to lock phones to its network because of open access requirements that are specific to the "C Block" 700MHz wireless spectrum that Verizon purchased in 2008 and uses for its 4G LTE network. Since then, Verizon has generally had more customer-friendly unlocking policies than other carriers.
