Two major companies in the UAE will look to recycling hundreds of used BlackBerrys after the announcement that the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will ban the service.
The ban, which is set to go into effect on 11 October, will block all residents and foreign visitors from using BlackBerry services. Two firms, who have remained anonymous, have reportedly contacted the Green Foundation - a mobile phone recycling organisation - to arrange a plan for handing in the smartphones.
According to the Green Foundation’s marketing manager, Jonathan Tozer, the two firms had made inquires as to BlackBerry recycling of all its employees phones as part of a company-wide upgrade of its IT systems. Mr Tozer said that the uncertainty of the market at present with the looming ban was causing companies to shy away from using the service and look to replace the BlackBerrys with a more reliable option.
Businesses have two options when looking into recycling the soon-to-be obsolete handsets. Recycling can be accomplished either through reimbursement or by donating the proceeds to charity. Many of the phones will be sent to European insurance companies to be given to those who have had their mobiles lost or stolen. According to Mr Tozer, the current market in the UK and US for used BlackBerrys is quite good, so retail prices are holding up compared with UAE.
The foundation also added that so far about 40 BlackBerrys had already been handed in for recycling since the ban was announced. The organisation uses an international value system to establish a buying price for the phones based on prices within Europe and North America.
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