Recycled handset market 'growing steadily'

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Recycled handset market 'growing steadily'

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By Editorial Team (Friday, 26th October 2007)

New research has highlighted the increasing importance of recycled and refurbished phones in the global mobile market.

A new report from market analyst ABI Research states that more than 60 per cent of all handsets sold during 2007 will be replacements, with recycled phones accounting for up to $3.5 billion (£1.7 billion) in sales over the course of the year.

The study also predicts that the sale of such devices could generate over $6 billion in revenue in 2012, as the market continues to expand steadily, vnunet.com reports.

Commenting on the business benefits of this growing market, ABI's Shailendra Pandey said: "Recycled and refurbished handsets can help mobile operators in improving per-customer profitability, by allowing better management of subscriber acquisition costs."

According to the research, a larger number of mobile users are now returning old and unwanted handsets as a result of various recycling schemes and environmental initiatives.

Memory cards are fast emerging as the highest revenue-generating mobile accessory and will raise over $7 billion in sales this year, a previous report from ABI stated.