The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has directed the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to draft rules and regulations on the mandatory unlocking of postpaid phones and devices after the lock-in period.
Under Memorandum Order 004, Series of 2018 issued on December 14, 2018, postpaid subscribers will have the option of switching to another wireless service provider.
“This is an additional Christmas gift of this administration to the Filipino telco subscribers,” DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio Jr. said in a statement.
“While we empower the industry through the entry of the new major player, we are also pushing for pro-consumer measures,” he added.
This pro-consumer policy is aimed at prodding telecommunication companies to innovate on their offers, Rio further said.
Based on the said memo, subscribers who have completed such lock-in periods and have no outstanding obligations on their subscription contracts can demand to mandatorily unlock their phones and devices on convenient sites, facilities and processes that will be provided by their respective wireless service providers.
The DICT said it directed NTC to draft the Memorandum Circular for the memo’s appropriate rules and regulations and conduct consultations and hearings. (Ventures Cebu)
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