IPhone the Prize for Small Carriers Backing Unlocked Devices
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Small wireless carriers see a new path to scoring users of Apple Inc.’s iPhone and other popular handsets: the legalization of unlocking mobile devices.
Regional and rural wireless providers are backing several bills in Congress that would let consumers unlock mobile phones and tablet computers without carriers’ permission. Big phone companies often land exclusive rights to offer the hottest devices, and U.S. rules currently prohibit altering software to let new phones from one carrier to work on other networks.