On June 30 the communications ministry issued a guideline calling on cell phone operators to remove carrier-specific locks, or SIM locks, so that customers can change from one cell phone operator's services to another's without having to buy a new phone.
In accordance with this guideline, NTT DoCoMo announced on July 6 that it will not install SIM locks on its cell phones in and after April 2011. But it is unclear whether other cell phone operators will follow suit because the ministry's guideline is not mandatory.
At present, if one signs a contract with a cell phone operator, it is impossible to use services of another cell phone operator unless one buys a new cell phone from the other operator. In Europe and North America, in many cases, customers can use another operator's services through simple manipulation of the phone after some time lapses. The guideline pushes Japan's situation a bit closer to that found in those regions.