Will US customers go for 'unlocked' cellphone plans?

Chinese cellphone manufacturers, Alcatel Mobile Phone and Haier Group, are showcasing their cellphones at CTIA Wireless 2007, a gathering of the cellular industry. Haier is introducing cellphones that have very distinctive handsets called Elegance and Sterling that will be compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile although they will not be sold with any service provider package and will be "unlocked" so consumers can select their own service provider and add the "SIM" or the subscriber identity module into the handset. Alcatel will be offering cellphones with wireless providers to consumers. Unlocked cell phone plans are common in Europe and Asia, where consumers have the choice to buy any cell phone and select any service provider.