Debranding
Debranding even Entbranden called, is a term from the mobile sector and describes the removal of the special software of a mobile phone of the mobile provider . After the software has been removed, the manufacturer's original software is installed on the mobile device.
The English word brand means brand . A “branded” mobile radio device is therefore a device equipped with provider-specific changes that differs from “unbranded” devices in certain properties.
Brandings are most common in Germany with the mobile phone providers T-Mobile and Vodafone , in Austria with Mobilkom Austria , Magenta and Telering . All of these providers and a few more can be supplied by the hardware manufacturers for mobile radio models with modified software (“branding software”) in order to essentially improve customer loyalty .
Brandings are generally created according to the wishes of the mobile network provider. Debranding means removing the provider's special software from the mobile device and instead installing the manufacturer's original software on the mobile device; the software version that the manufacturer of the mobile device would always install if his provider customers did not specify anything. The manufacturer software usually offers the richest range of functions, while the “branding” versions often come with functional restrictions.
Advantages and disadvantages of branding
Cellular provider brandings often lead to more disadvantages than advantages for the customer.
It can be an advantage for the customer if WAP, GPRS and MMS settings are already set on delivery. On the other hand, there are a number of possible disadvantages: For example, the assignment of MP3 ring tones cannot work, the branding takes up additional storage space, which reduces the available storage space of the mobile device. On some devices, the Internet button cannot be defined, which can lead to unconscious costs and, in particular, call diversion and forwarding only work to a very limited extent on branded mobile phones and only rarely leads to the cheapest contractual partners, especially abroad.
Legal evaluation
From a legal point of view, there are a number of questions relating to branding / debranding:
The Potsdam District Court ruled in March 2005 that the branding of cell phones was a material defect and that the customer was entitled to an unbranded cell phone if the provider withheld the branding in the advertising / sales pitch.
Many wireless service providers consider removing the branding to be an interference with the wireless device. This can lead to the customer being denied the right to a warranty in the event of a defect with reference to the removal of the software. The customer, on the other hand, can demand that the provider prove a technically plausible connection between the debranding and the faulted malfunction.
It is legally undisputed that removing a SIM lock using debranding is not permitted. It is also undisputed that the customer must have a license for the original firmware (operating software stored in chips) in order to install it. In practice, however, this is not an obstacle, as most manufacturers grant this license.
Remove the branding
Officially, none of the cell phone operators or the manufacturer of the device offer to remove the branding. Contractual regulations oppose this. However, with the help of various Internet providers, it is possible to remove the branding from home.
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- ^ The court condemns branding. Stiftung Warentest , March 11, 2005, accessed on December 20, 2012 .
- ↑ Potsdam District Court, judgment of February 3, 2005, file number: 34 C 563/04