(KTRH) Gone are the days when you could unlock your cell phone and switch providers.  A new law went into effect over the weekend making that illegal. 

High Tech Texan Michael Garfield calls it a win for carriers like AT&T, Verizon and others.

"Up until this past weekend, everybody was allowed to switch or unlock their phones," Garfield tells KTRH.  "Obviously now, you still can do it, but you'll have to ask permission from your carrier.  I think a lot of people are not going to worry about it, they'll just keep it on their same carrier."

"Portability has been around for 15 years, anybody can take your phone number and move it from carrier to carrier," he says.  "Cell phone carriers don't like that, they want to make sure you're locked in for several years, but now you can't do it yourself."

Read more: KTRH