Wireless carriers, FCC agree on ‘unlocking’ cellphones.

United States 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, has said.

Wheeler told members of Congress an agreement was reached between the carriers and the agency, and details will be presented at an FCC meeting later on Thursday.

Industry sources, according to Reuters, have said the agreement would ensure that providers notify customers about the eligibility of their phones for unlocking – by text message, for example – and could also cover some pre-paid phones.

The deal would also require carriers to process or deny unlocking requests within two business days, according to FCC’s earlier guidance.

US wireless carriers often “lock” smartphones to their networks as a way to encourage consumers to renew their mobile contracts. Consumers often get new devices at a heavily subsidized price in return for committing to longer contracts.

The new deal would assure consumers that they could get their phones “unlocked” at the end of their contract and make the process more uniform among carriers.

The final sticking points in reaching the agreement among carriers and FCC were said to include questions on how fast the new policy would be rolled out, how pre-paid phones would be handled and how to keep unlocked phones off of black markets.

Top providers like Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, Sprint Corp and T-Mobile US have long allowed consumers to unlock devices and take them to another network at the end of a contract term – commonly, two years – though the process varies by company and can be quite painstaking.

What changed in 2013 was an unexpected ruling from the Library of Congress, which oversees US copyright law and reviews exemptions every three years, that effectively made unlocking illegal.

The ruling surprised many telecom observers, outraged phone users, and finally landed on the White House’s agenda thanks to an online citizen petition that gathered 114,322 signatures, more than the 100,000 needed to spur a response. And in its response, the White House sided with the petitioners.

With that, unlocking turned into a top 2013 policy matter for the new

FCC chairman, Wheeler, a former top wireless industry lobbyist for whom it presented an opportunity to establish a pro-consumer stance.

The issue on unlocking is on the FCC’s meeting agenda on Thursday.

Unlike cell phone operators in other countries, US wireless carriers often lock smartphones to make it harder for customers to leave their network.