After the implementation of this rule, Bell Canada initially refused to offer unlocks for users who were not customers of the carrier (in contrast to Rogers and Telus), but reversed course in February 2018 due to public backlash. In a filing to the CRTC in August 2018, Bell also stated that it had begun to reimplement SIM locks on unsold phones as an anti-theft and safety measure (the phones are unlocked during the activation process when sold to a customer), citing increases in theft from store stocks since the implementation of the prohibition.