Telus Plans to Lock New Phones for 60 Days. The CRTC Already Told Bell No.

Telus is asking the CRTC to let carriers lock new phones to their network for up to 60 days after purchase, and the company says it plans to start doing it on July 30 whether or not the regulator signs off first.

The carrier filed a Part 1 application with the CRTC on May 22, laying out its case for changing the Wireless Code. Right now the Code forces carriers to sell devices unlocked, a rule that came into effect back in late 2017. Telus wants that changed so it can put a temporary 60-day lock on subsidized or financed phones, with the device automatically unlocking for free once the two months are up.

The reason, according to Telus, is a big jump in device theft and subscription fraud since the unlocking rules kicked in. The company argues that unlocked phones have basically turned into cash. A premium iPhone or Galaxy can be resold anywhere in the world the second it walks out of a store, which makes them a magnet for organized crime, everything from smash-and-grab robberies at cellphone shops to fraudsters opening accounts with stolen IDs and disappearing with a $0-down phone.

Telus points at Bell

A big chunk of the application focuses on Bell. Telus says Bell started locking its own devices for up to 60 days in early 2025, and that move has left everyone else exposed.

The argument goes like this: if Bell phones are harder to flip because they’re locked, criminals just move on to the carriers that leave devices unlocked. Telus says that means fraud is getting funnelled straight to it and the other carriers who still unlock from day one. The company calls this a competitive imbalance and says it’s stuck on different regulatory footing than Bell.

Here’s the twist though. The CRTC already told Bell no. When Bell went to the Commission last year asking to lock phones and to kick off a review of the unlocking rules, the regulator turned it down. In a November 2025 letter, the CRTC said Bell “has not demonstrated that the practice of locking cellphones for up to 60 days after purchase is a necessary and proportionate response in [that] case.”

Telus says it can’t see Bell’s actual application since it isn’t public, but the company believes its own evidence is strong enough to get a different result. Basically, Telus wants the Commission to either let everyone lock phones for 60 days, or at the very least fix the imbalance that Bell’s locking has created.

How the 60-day lock would work

Telus is framing this as a light-touch measure. Under its proposal:

• The lock would only apply to subsidized or financed devices, not phones bought outright
• Phones would unlock automatically after 60 days at no charge, as long as the account is in good standing
• There’d be no unlocking fees, ever
• Customers could ask for an early unlock for legit reasons like travelling, switching carriers, paying off the device, or moving somewhere the network doesn’t reach

The company points out that people rarely switch carriers in the first two months anyway, especially when they still owe money on the phone, so it argues the lock wouldn’t really get in anyone’s way.

Telus also leans on what’s happening in other countries. It notes the US FCC granted Verizon a waiver in January 2026 to lock phones after Verizon showed it was losing hundreds of thousands of devices to fraud. France and New Zealand allow short locking periods too, and Telus says the UK saw phone thefts spike after it banned locked handsets in 2021.

Telus says this is about protecting Canadians

A Telus spokesperson gave iPhone in Canada the following statement in regards to this filing sent our way, saying, “This application is about protecting Canadians from the growing risks of device theft, identity theft and subscription fraud. A 60-day device lock after a device sale – which would automatically unlock at no cost to the customer once the lock period ends – would help reduce organized theft, improve the safety of retail employees, and better protect Canadians from fraud that can leave innocent victims facing financial loss and damaged credit.”

“We urge the CRTC to amend the Wireless Code to better reflect today’s public safety and security landscape by permitting a 60-day device lock,” added the Telus spokesperson.

Telus is asking the CRTC to fast-track the interim part of its request. Whether the Commission bites, after already shutting down Bell, is the open question.

So what can you do? If you buy your new iPhone from Apple, it is unlocked right away. Buying from Telus (and its subsidiaries like Koodo) starting at the end of the month (unless you buy outright) will result in a phone that’s locked for 60 days.