Operator Castration of Mobile Phones Alive and Well in the UK, Too
Sheesh, I thought this was a US-only problem, but apparently, operator castration of phones is alive and well in the UK as well, at least with respect to the Nokia N95 and the SIP stack.
Let’s be clear about something: the carriers themselves request with device manufacturers to remove certain features from the handset. The handset makers, which sell a large chunk of their handsets through carrier channels, comply with these requirements. The carriers themselves generally don’t have any mechanism to do this on their own.
As usual, if you don’t want a castrated mobile phone, by an unlocked, unbranded GSM phone. It’s the only way to ensure you get the maximum functionality from your device.
