locking to a provider is programmed into the firmware of providers.
My point exactly. Why would a company like Apple who is particularity careful re. their IP allow a third party (i.e. Vodafone, EE, O2 etc.) to change or add to the already factory installed h/w based Apple proprietary firmware?
I know it was commonplace on Nokias, Motorola etc. back in the day, but given Apple are extremely careful re. their h/w and s/w, why allow another company to change with it?
Not 100% sure if it is accurate or not, but I heard a couple of weeks ago that providers are no longer supposed to lock supplied handsets nowadays?