Tell HN: AT&T disabled phone numbers and accounts of users using the old phones

Re:Tell HN: AT&T disabled phone numbers and accounts of user... by olabyne on Friday May 06, 2022 @04:27AM (#31282776)

What do you mean by the "only US provider allowing" ? Blacklisting old phones is a thing every US telcom is doing ? I'm european, I know the US is really NOT into consumer rights, but still, this is a massive FU to phones users who want to keep their phone for a good 2-3 years, and pushes for a massive electronic waste.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Tell HN: AT&T disabled phone numbers and accounts of user... by izacus on Friday May 06, 2022 @04:39AM (#31282851)

It's not blacklisting, it's WHITElisting which is much worse - all the phones not explicitly sold by AT&T or otherwise approved will not work. So you pretty much don't have a free market choice of your device despite it being compatible with the network.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Tell HN: AT&T disabled phone numbers and accounts of user... by mikro2nd on Friday May 06, 2022 @08:16AM (#31284251)

Kickbacks from the "approved" manufacturers to the phone co in return for exclusive access to their market. Yet another revenue stream...

All supporting my growing conviction that phone co's are constitutionally incapable of delivering good internet connectivity and should be forced out of that game as soon as, and by any means possible.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Tell HN: AT&T disabled phone numbers and accounts of user... by sitkack on Friday May 06, 2022 @08:17AM (#31284269)

It is almost like we should break them up for such practices.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Tell HN: AT&T disabled phone numbers and accounts of user... by kedean on Friday May 06, 2022 @01:20PM (#31287663)

After they just spent 15 years consolidating into a handful of providers?

[ Parent | on HN ]