In a country where the subsidy level has been traditionally low, the National Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) recently set new rules regarding the SIM-lock mechanism used by some mobile network operators to protect their subsidised handsets from being used on competitors’ networks.
If an operator wants to sell a subsidized handset, it has to publicly state the value of the subsidy. Handsets cannot be locked for more than 18 months and consumers have the right to disable the lock after 9 months paying back the operator half the value of the original subsidy.
Will operators honestly comply with the new rules? At the moment the subsidy value of the newest phones are still well hidden to the consumer. Hopefully, someone will take notice.