Recycling plan: Berry good idea

Dubai: Two major corporations are looking at handing in “hundreds” of BlackBerrys for recycling before a ban comes into force blocking services on the handset.

The companies, who have not been named, contacted the Green Foundation – a recycling company – on Sunday to discuss handing in the smartphones.

The news comes just days after the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said it would ban all BlackBerry services on October 11. Foreign visitors to the country will also be blocked from using the service.

Johnathan Tozer, Marketing Manager for the Green Foundation, said: “We’ve had two corporations contact us about handing in their employee BlackBerrys as part of an upgrade of their IT systems.”

According to him, the number of handsets to be recycled could run into “several hundred” and he expected more companies to come forward in the coming weeks before the ban is imposed.

He said: “As there is uncertainty in the market at the moment I feel that companies will certainly start questioning how to offer an uninterrupted data service to employees – until further announcements regarding the future of BlackBerry in the UAE are made – recycling is a positive action to undertake.”

Businesses can either have the phones valued and then be reimbursed or donate them to a charity of their choice after which they will receive a donation certificate.

Replacement phones

Most of the phones go to European insurance companies as replacement phones for who may have had theirs lost or stolen. “The market in the US and UK is pretty good for reused BlackBerrys so the prices hold up pretty well compared with the UAE,” he said.

The foundation also had around 40 BlackBerrys handed in by individuals as part of a cash for phones deal at Emax stores in Dubai.

An international valuation system is used based on prices in Europe and North America where the demand for used BlackBerrys is a lot higher than in the UAE.

The prices fluctuate daily like stocks, but typically range between Dh90 and Dh650. To check the value of your BlackBerry visit www.cashformobiles.me and use the IMEI number, which is unique to every phone.

All the phones handed in to the foundation undergo security checks to make sure they have not been stolen, are not defective or money is owed on them.

They then undergo recycling by UK-based company SHP Limited, that specialises in refurbishing electrical items.

Some new options

Following the TRA's announcement of a suspension of three BlackBerry (BB) services on October 11, both etisalat and du have announced alternative packages for their customers using several other smartphone models. They have also added some sweeteners such as free minutes, SMS/MMS and outright discounts for those switching over to other smartphones.

Etisalat

Etisalat BB users will now pay less for the Unlimited Global service of Dh260 (from Dh295), which offers unlimited data package, 1,000 free SMS/ MMS (local and international) and 550 free local minutes. For those with Unlimited Domestic BB, the charge stays at Dh185, with the same benefits as Global, but with 350 free local minutes. Domestic Limited costs Dh90, with 150 free local minutes, 100MB of data, and 1,000 free SMS/MMS (local and international). Those paying Dh90 for the Domestic Limited BB Consumer package get 1,000 free SMS/MMS (local and international), 150 local minutes and 100MB of free data package. Customers who signed up for Email Plus (Dh139) and Unlimited Social Package (Dh49) get the same benefits as those with Domestic Limited package.

Du
Du is offering three options on its existing Unlimited National BlackBerry Service plan(Dh100 monthly). The Standard Assurance Plan for Dh100 (no contract), offers unlimited national data and 1,000 free SMS. The Data Plan for Dh40, has the same benefits as the first, but with a 12-month contract. The Smartphone Plan with 12-month contract for a monthly charge of Dh140, with the same benefits as the first two and Dh1,500 discount on a smartphone. Du also offers three options on unlimited global BB service (Dh200). Standard Plan costs Dh200 with unlimited national data and 1,000 SMS and 20MB of international data. Data plan has the same benefits as the first and costs Dh80, (12-month contract) and 10MB of international data. The Smartphone Plan comes with the same benefits as the first two for Dh250, 30MB of free international data and a Dh2,000 discount on a smartphone option.

- Text by Jay B. Hilotin, Chief Reporter