Sorry this is not tech related...Regarding the o2 18 month contract.

Question

Just to say right off the bat that I have NO wish to unlock the i-phone.
However, from what I understand (please correct me if I am wrong).
The only way to use the i phone when it is released in the UK is via o2's 18 month contract.
So once the 18 months is up on the contract and I choose to cancel the contract, how will I still be able to make calls, because the i phone is locked only to the o2 contract tariff when you first set up the i phone.
Legally,I thought that in the UK, once a contract is passed it's minimum term you could contact the network provider for them to unlock the phone to any network (sometimes for a fee).
What I'm really trying to say is that once my 18 month contract with o2 UK is up, will they have a legal obligation to unlock my i phone to other networks.
Sorry this is not a 'tech' question only,
I'm really tempted to get an i phone on the 9th but I just need investigate as much as possible before I take the plunge...

Answer 1

I think you are partly right, but partly wrong.
I believe that you have the right to buy yourself out of your contract term with your network. To be a little more precise, I think you have the right to take your number with you whenever you want. You may still have to pay O2 for the remaining term of the contract, subject to what your contract terms say. The contract terms usually have the kind of 'get out' that you describe, but this of course depends entirely on the contract terms you have agreed to.
Where I think you have it wrong is what happens to your hardware - the phone. I'm not aware of anything that requires a network to facilitate the unlocking of your phone. Think of it this way. If you buy a decoder box for NTL cable tv, you can't complain to the manufacturer or NTL if you later decide to use that decoder box for Virgin tv only to find it doesn't work. (perhaps not the best example, but I hope you see what I mean).
I agree this is a concern. I may be happy to go with O2 for now, and for 18 months. But I'm not so happy at the prospect of having to bin my iPhone if I want to move to Orange at the end of my 18 month contract. I'm relying (hoping) that consumer pressure, and the changing market, will have sorted this by the end of my 18 month contract. In 18 months time, if Apple and O2 require customers to either stick with O2 or bin their iPhone it will be a real reputation killer.