While we're on the subject of BlackBerry devices, the Bold 9790 -- a device that officially launched a month ago -- is also making it to the UK as a SIM-free device as soon as January 9th.
To have the network overrule the manufacturer, to overrule the operating system owners, and to weaken the eco-system is short sighted and ultimately weakens the networks themselves over the long run, pushing customers to buying SIM-free handsets with no network interference.