Unlocked Cell Phones Helping Consumers Avoid Major Mobile Drawbacks The battle for control over mobile consumers is shifting in a major way as consumers purchase unlocked devices allowing cell phone carriers to once again woo consumers into making purchase based on their cell phone carrier and not just their device. Carriers like T-Mobile are beginning to exploit this trend by showcasing the benefits to owning unlocked cell phones, something that would have been unheard of for a Carrier as large as T-Mobile to do in the past.