The problem is how can users obtain better devices which will in turn provide a higher quality experience. It's absolutely a solution. Providing an incentive and/or partnership with telecom carriers and allowing the hardware (and perhaps supporting the software) to have lasting resale value is a solution. It doesn't have to be a comparison from what immediately hurts the wallet more... Providing users with an entry barrier to obtain the hardware at (or almost) zero immediate cost is exactly why these contracts exist.