Refurb market goes through the roof as consumers still shun expensive upgrades
Market predicted to be worth £23 billion globally, says Counterpoint Research
Paul Lipscombe
February 12, 2019
Millions of pounds’ worth of phone testing work could go overseas as a result of Brexit.
So says mobile expert Simon Rockman, an ex-creative experience director at Motorola and head of requirements at Sony Ericsson.
According to Rockman, an EU directive on testing phones for electromagnetic radiation is contingent on rules set by the Federal Communications Commission in the US, and that the UK is an approved location for FCC testing.
“This is known as as the MRA – the Mutual Recognition Agreement – and this is between the US and the EU, not the US and the UK. It is unclear what the repercussions of leaving the EU will be, but it is clear that the MRA will cease to apply to those labs.
“The FCC may choose to leave those 16 labs on its website anyway, but as testing is a final stage before going to market, it’s a risk manufacturers probably won’t want to take,” said Rockman.