Comment by tsimionescu
2 days ago
Your phone has access to the radio spectrum under certain limited conditions, everywhere in the world. People who want to sell devices that can emit in the radio spectrum must make every reasonable effort to not allow the devices they sell to operate outside the conditions. I would bet that carrier contracts and rules around requirements for VoLTE and VoNR are codified in the exact same way. There is no legal right to use any device you like on your carrier's network - most likely, your contract with your carrier instead has an explicit series of devices that you are allowed to use, and this is also backed up by your country's laws by not being allowed to emit in the radio spectrum unless you do it through one of the certified carriers and under their conditions.
So, if Google were aware of a hack that allows users of their devices to circumvent conditions put in place by carriers against misuse of their network, and Google did nothing to patch this, Google could lose their license to produce devices which can access the radio spectrum. You personally could also be hel liable for using these hacks, but Google would definitely be on the hook, and could, in principle, be entirely prevented from manufacturing and selling phones, if this ever escalated enough.
VoLTE is on another layer than the one radio spectrum laws apply to. VoLTE is basically SIP with a special handshake that uses the SIM card instead of the usual username/password. It does not affect radio in any way.
I am aware, but the cell network itself is considered critical infrastructure as well, and operators are custodians of the radio spectrum. So devices that don't respect operator settings are considered problematic.
Now, do operators abuse this power to enforce commercial interests? Absolutely. This may well be a case of that. But the general principle that devices that operate on the radio spectrum and in cell networks are bound by laws that constrain user's rights, and that manufacturers are responsible for enforcing said constraints in their devices for the good of everyone, is not invalidated by a few greedy policies. Just legislate against the abuses, as the EU for example has often done in this area (leading to free roaming within the EU, legally mandated ability to move to a new network keeping your old number, etc).
> Just legislate against the abuses
which is never going to happen, because lobbying has overtaken the democratic process, and legislations no longer seem to be about protecting the consumer.
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