It isn&#x27;t like lock-in is unheard of in other countries - this is why you have the choice of buying an unlocked phone. I&#x27;m sure it does seem rather odd if you are unused to it, but overall it tends to help people if it is done correctly (I no longer live there, so I don&#x27;t know how easy it is to unlock) They had to pass laws to get carriers to unlock phones - it used to be that a phone only worked on one carrier in the US and That felt truly unfair.