Last month the U.S. Copyright Office put into effect a ruling that allows cell phone users to unlock their phones. Effectively, this ruling will allow -- if not easily enable -- a user to take any phone from one network to another (compatible) network, even if the original carrier put software locks in place to prevent this.

The ruling makes consumer advocates and many users happy. No one likes to spend money on a device (even a highly subsidized one, such as a mobile phone) and then be limited in its use. So from this perspective, the ruling is both welcomed and a bit surprising, as the vast majority of Digital Millennium Copyright Act rulings have been biased against the consumer.

From an IT perspective -- although it's a bit early to know exactly how many parties will react -- the ruling may well turn out to be a mixed blessing, at least for those who don't prepare for it.

I'm sure many IT managers, like individual consumers, will welcome the ability to take fuller advantage of intercarrier competition and number portability, and will use this ruling to leverage existing devices on optimized rate plans across different carriers. Given the cost of business-class smart phone devices, the $20 or $30 required to unlock a phone is a minor expense. And purchasing new phones unlocked out of the box might cost a bit more upfront but may provide an enterprise with an opportunity to standardize on a single handset while still offering choice of carriers based on employee geography and use.

But there's a "but" here, because this ruling could herald some potential "gotchas" that bear some consideration and planning.

First and foremost will be the possible impact on carriers and their pricing models for handsets. Handset pricing to the user is heavily subsidized. Yes, contracts are used to lock customers into the service, but the devices themselves are also tied to services and carriers by their software locks.

When these go away, carriers probably will have to take one of two approaches: make their contracts even more ironclad and contractually lock in customers for long terms, or abandon the subsidies and charge customers something closer to their own costs for handsets. Neither of these possibilities is going to be what the enterprise IT or telecom manager wants. Unlocking a phone may also void its warranty, making support issues fall to the customer and not the carrier.