Many people don’t realize if they buy their phone from their phone company, it will be locked to prevent it from working on the networks of any other carrier. (Jim Rossman/TNS)(Jim Rossman / TNS) If ...

The nation’s largest wireless carrier is making waves with a controversial petition that could fundamentally alter how Americans use their smartphones. Verizon Communications Inc. has formally ...

US wireless carriers will make it easier for consumers to "unlock" their mobile phones for use on a competitor's network, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said on Thursday.

As part of a compromise with the federal government, AT&T . Verizon , Sprint , and T-Mobile agreed a year ago to make it much easier for customers to unlock their phones once they had been paid off.