Sprint Agrees to Unlock Phones

As part of a proposed class-action settlement Sprint has agreed to provide customers with codes to unlock their mobile phones for use on other compatible networks. Should the settlement be accepted Sprint will begin providing departing customers with unlock codes for Sprint PCS phones.

The lawsuit Zill v. Sprint Spectrum, L.P., is currently pending in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Case No. RG03114147. It alleges that Sprint is violating CA law by locking its handsets and that the practice violates California's Unfair Competition Law by making it more expensive for customers to switch carriers. T-Mobile and AT&T are also facing similar pending class action suits in California.

The settlement covers customers who bought a Sprint phone between Aug. 28, 1999, and July 16, 2007.

According to the AP Report, Sprint said it will share the unlocking code with all current and former subscribers once their phones are deactivated and their bills are paid. The company also will add information about the locking software and how to obtain the unlocking codes in the list of terms and conditions of service given to new customers, and instruct its customer service representatives on how to connect a non-Sprint phone to the Sprint network.

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