Carrier Locked vs Unlocked Phones — Why It Matters for Dual SIM Users
Research & Policy Carrier Lock-In Port Vila · April 2026 · 9 min read A locked phone closes off the second SIM slot before you ever get to use it. Photo by Adrien Olichon on Unsplash. Buying a dual SIM phone and assuming both slots will work for any carrier is the most expensive mistake new travellers make. The slots exist. The carrier lock decides whether you can use them. This piece walks through what the policy filings, peer-reviewed studies, and consumer data actually say - and why the FCC's January 2026 ruling on Verizon makes it more important than ever. $8.57 Avg. roaming cost per GB, 2024 $5.50 Avg. travel eSIM cost per GB ~ 75 % Projected per-GB savings by 2029 215M Travel eSIM users by 2028 (Juniper) Most dual SIM articles tell you which phone to buy. They skip the part where your carrier silently decides whether you can use the second slot at all. A locked ...