AT&T told Engadget that it will start unlocking out of contract iPhones starting April 8th. This is a big policy reversal on AT&T’s part as the carrier, up until now, was reluctant to unlock iPhones even when the customer was no longer under a contract.
Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones. The only requirements are that a customer’s account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee.
Now with an unlocked phone, customers can travel internationally and avoid the high cost of international roaming plans by purchasing a SIM with a local carrier when they arrive at their destination. It will also let US customers switch their iPhone from AT&T and use it on T-Mobile, though it will only work on EDGE as the iPhone does not support T-Mobile’s 3G/4G network.
[Via Engadget]