As part of a proposed class-action settlement Sprint has agreed to provide customers with codes to unlock their mobile phones for use on other compatible networks. Should the settlement be accepted Sprint will begin providing departing customers with unlock codes for Sprint PCS phones.

The lawsuit Zill v. Sprint Spectrum, L.P., is currently pending in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, Case No. RG03114147. It alleges that Sprint is violating CA law by locking its handsets and that the practice violates California’s Unfair Competition Law by making it more expensive for customers to switch carriers. T-Mobile and AT&T are also facing similar pending class action suits in California. The settlement covers customers who bought a Sprint phone between Aug. 28, 1999, and July 16, 2007.