FCC wants to make carriers unlock phones within 60 days of activation

[TRG]

If you travel overseas, you can request your carrier unlock your device

When I travel overseas I use a cheap "pay as you go" phone. You can "top up" your minutes in practically any shop or on the internet. I don't use the phone that much so it's only 20 Euro's or Pounds at a time for me. Plus even the cheap phones are capable of WiFi calling so you don't get charged for any minutes when connected that way.

My wife calls it my "burner phone."

 

[TRG]

It also depends what frequencies they use over seas

All the details for Europe are in this link. I don't know about Asia though.

Which US Cell Phone Carriers Work in Europe: A Handy Guide - TechYouLike

 

[Juan]

All the details for Europe are in this link. I don't know about Asia though.

Which US Cell Phone Carriers Work in Europe: A Handy Guide - TechYouLike

Sorry GSM and CDMA have been gone for years in the United states (known as 3g)...most modern American cellphones won't work..the 3g frequencies over here are reused for 5g...if you had a 10 year old phone..that would work

 

[Juan]

The easiest way to use a cellphone overseas is just buy an international calling plan from att or verizon...as long as there is 5g around it will work..

 

[klang]

It's only temporary though, right?

I don't think the phone goes back to being locked later. At least not with AT&T.

I get my iPhones directly from Apple, pretty sure they don't come locked nowadays.

 

[comfortably_numb]

I get my iPhones directly from Apple, pretty sure they don't come locked nowadays.

The exception:

 

[klang]

The exception:

View attachment 172345

AT&T is not involved with my purchase other than porting the number to the new phone when I activate.

I have had both Visible and Mint as secondary services in the past. Never had any issues with the phone being locked. Not sure how long this has been the case though.

 

[HipKat]

It's only temporary though, right?

Not if you don;t tell them to lock it again when you come back.
In the world of unlocking bootloaders and rooting phones, this has been a long-standing method to have a carrier unlock a device