We’ve always fought shy of actually installing equipment, rather than carefully taking it out.

However, we’ve had a close relationship with an experienced Nortel BT Meridian Option engineering specialist company virtually from our first days of trading, over nine years ago. And when we were approached some time back to install a used Nortel Meridian Option 11 as a “back-up/disaster recovery” system, we realised that we had the hardware, basic engineering, cabling, customer liason, and project management skills gained through taking things out, that could easily be converted to put things in. All we needed was someone from our friendly Option 11 engineering company to do the deep and mysterious programming bits. Voila! A team to put something in and make it work. Which we did. To the customer’s (and BT’s) satisfaction.

BT? Yes. Although we can install, modify, configure, and programme Option 11 systems, we have no desire to be a maintainer, the on-call “AA/RAC” of the telecomms world, with people standing by to fix faults to tight time scales. Irresponsible? Not really, just that age and wisdom have taught us what we are good at, and what we shouldn’t take on. And servicing 24/7 maintenance contracts is not what our business is set up to do, although we know companies that do it, and do it well. So, our customer wanted BT to maintain the system we put in. They had to check it over as part of a Maintenance Acceptance Test. Which it passed, with compliments from the inspector.

So, for the customer, this installation, and his subsequent ones, turned into perfect “win-win” situations; we installed used Option 11 equipment at a fraction of the new cost. He then got BT to maintain, ensuring the continuity of service of the system. This is akin to an independent Mercedes dealer supplying a used, depreciated, well-maintained model, then covering it with a comprehensive factory warranty. In short, an utter bargain, with no shortcomings.

We quite like “beating the system” on behalf of customers. We came in at around one quarter of the equivalent price from “the official suppliers”.

So, if we can do the same for your organisation, be that on a Nortel Meridian Option 11, 61, or 81,please let us know. We’re beginning to enjoy putting things in for a change…

We get asked by private individuals, “How can I recycle my old phone” quite often these days.

This is heartening, as it shows that folks are more aware of waste and the need to dispose of things appropriately. Bravo!

“Would we like to buy it?” No. They are not worth anything. They can’t be refurbished profitably, or sold on eBay. The differential between a new and a refurbished used one is too small. Next question. Sorry.

“Of course, then can be shipped to developing countries for re-use“. Another urban myth. Mobiles, yes, landlines, no. Or maybe we are missing a vital opportunity here, despite having worked in this market since 1999. Simply, they are not worth handling and shipping.

“The parts can be reused”. Sorry, “no” once again. They are mightily difficult to dismantle, an “electronic pomegranate”, all skin and no fruit, time-consuming and bitty. Of course, line and curly cords plug in and out easily, and could be reused, but these are the major “consumable” on the device, and wear out first. so are normally unusable. Next?

“Can’t you sell them on eBay?” I’d love to, but no-one wants to buy. We’ve tried. A decent new one is around ten pounds or less. It’s hardly worth bothering, unless you sell in bulk. Bulk buyers are usually businesses. And businesses tend to buy new. Some we don’t have the heart to throw away. And we do put them in our eBay shop. And they sit, and sit, and sit…

“Charity shops can sell them”. I don’t see many. Some decline to take them in the same way that they reject any electrical goods.

“Charities take them for free to support their work”. Yes, mobiles, which are sold into developing countries. Not used landline phones. For the record, we support charities such as North East Air Ambulance, Shelter, etc, by processing used landline phones that they have been given and can do nothing with. We give of our time and money for free. This writer is a former trustee of a charitable trust, and vice-chair of school board of governors, so would like to think that he’s in touch with charitable and voluntary organisations. Callers sometimes doubt this when I refuse to process their phones for free…

(Look, I’d better stop now. I’m depressing myself.)

So, some suggestions? Folks who call us often act as if they are trying to dispose of spent nuclear waste. I remind them that, as they pay council tax, their local authority are obliged to take their waste. What we used to call “the tip” will have a special area for electronic waste, and our current booming economy and wacky consumerism generates much of that, so any decent council will be geared up to handle it. In short, take it to your local recycling centre. You’ve already paid for their services.

And us? Yes, we take these in bulk from businesses, charge them for the collection, handling, transport and disposal. We work closely with a major trade-only telecommunications recycler who strips them down to extract circuit boards, copper, and plastic. All compliant with the WEEE Directive. And this costs.

So, if you wish to send your solitary old phone to us, you’d need to tape a two-pound coin to the base to cover our costs. We’re happy to take it, but need to pay to keep the lights on, staff fed, etc. Mail us for details.

If you are a business disposing of bulk phones, please be in touch. We have a free document to send which gives vital guidelines on handing (see the photo above…), FAQs, plus our tariff. If the devices are specific to a business phone system, that is, not the plain analogue ones described above, there may even be the remote chance of some value to be reclaimed.Meanwhile, if you find anyone who can transform old telephones into a 120ft yacht, please let us know. Thanks.

rob.govier@telecomgreen.co.uk

Some inbound calls make me uncomfortable.  No, let’s start again - these days, most calls make me feel decidedly ill-at-ease. Because we’re not buying. And lots of folks want to sell.

“Hello, we have a number of iSDX systems for disposal.  We’ve found you on the ‘net, and wondered if you’d like to buy them.”

So, how do I “break it” to my caller, usually a communications manager from a large organisation, that I may have to charge his company to remove his mature, proven, well-maintained system? How can I couch what I say in the terms of a bereavement counsellor, rather than a second-hand car salesman?

iSDX used to be our staple trading product.  The installed base was huge, hence turnover in used cards healthy.  Then, around 2003, the market effectively collapsed, “Wall Street Crash”-style.  We would have jumped from the 23rd floor, but we couldn’t get to the window for the boxes of used cards and terminals in the way.

The cause? Almost certainly the halt in investment by comms. manager who saw a new generation of VOIP systems on the horizon. And, of course, new VOIP, or VOIP-capable systems. Plus, traditional-style PABX manufacturers muscling in on the previously impenetrable local authority and large corporate iSDX accounts.  Simply, supply outstripped demand. Lots of equipment coming out, a shrinking base into which they could be reinstalled.

 ”But….we used to pay a fortune for cards from our maintainer. We’ve spent so much…” bleats my caller. 

I shuffle uncomfortably. I can’t see him, but I somehow lose eye contact.

“Yes, probably too much. So, if you know of anyone who wants to buy used iSDX hardware, let me know.”  This is probably not the time for nervous humour. Too late.

I tell him that we will carefully unpick his used phone system from existing, unlabelled, live and vulnerable cabling.  We will manoevre the large cabinets out to our vehicle without killing anyone, or cracking the marble floor in reception. And provide appropriate waste documentation, complying with the WEEE directive. We’ve done it before.  Just a few times…

“Well, I’ve a number of options I still have to explore.” he says, abruptly, thinking that this will draw me into making a bid. It won’t.

Fine.  I can’t offer him anything. I feel sorry.  The fact that I don’t make even a tentative low offer surprises him as I end the call.  Maybe he will be back. However, if he does manage to sell his phone system, I’ll be pleased for him.  As long as he gets paid. Anyone buying used iSDX/Realitis hardware these days has either found an immediate, willing buyer, or is just misled or dumb and fraudulant.

iSDX is a wonderful system, and could plough on for many, many years.  The Multiline 12b, and iSDT 300 handsets may seem to have been designed by the same architect that planned council flat blocks in new towns, but it is a supremely reliable PABX, and perfectly flexibile, in the hands of the right engineer. For the average organisation with hundreds of analogue phones and unsophisticated users, it’s just fine. It’s the classic big enterprise PABX. And it’s not really yet ready for recycling.

Sadly, recent “Realitis” versions have tight restrictions on what can be added, based around a “slot-based licensing” system.  Are Siemens trying to kill it off? But that’s another story.

We love taking them out.  But please don’t ask us to pay for them.  They make expensive paperweights.

Oh, and counselling is available at rob.govier@telecomgreen.co.uk

(I’d love some comments here, but these will be pre-moderated.  Did you really want to read some more ads for, ahem, “blue pills”? Maybe that’s what we should be selling…)

Now if the word “recycling” evokes images of waste paper in kerbside tubs, or the bottle bank at Tesco, don’t worry if you think we’re about to suggest that you put your expensive Meridian Option PABX out for the dustman. The market is not that bad yet. But it’s not far off.

Like so many other perfectly servicable used telephone systems, the dash to VOIP has resulted in a tide of late-model BT Meridian Nortel Option 11, Option 61 and Option 81 phone systems coming onto the market. Some have been upgraded to “level 25″ software in recent times at considerable expense. Yes, this is the software that the salesman told you would ensure that “your investment would be protected” until the sun was taken out of service due to its environmental impact on global warming. Or later, perhaps. Tragically, there are lots of systems displaced by “VOIP boxes” that look like ending up in “telecomms orphanage”. Pampered and formerly valuable, but unloved and homeless. Yes, it really is that bad. Why?

One point to remember is the sheer number of BT Meridian Option 11, Option 61 and Option 81 used phone systems installed across the UK. More installed, means, therefore, more de-installed as the market changes, which means more systems looking for a home.

Oh, and around software release 25, BT/Nortel began to restrict the use of spare slots on systems. Simply, you bought a system based on what the working configuration was at “day one”, meaning that you could not simply slip in a used card into an empty slot. If you needed more capacity, the slot needed to be activated. For a price. Likewise for upgrades, gaining new features meant losing the right to use the empty slots. The net result of this shrewd marketing move was that it became less attractive to add on to an existing system with used equipment. And the number of systems “out there” was decreasing anyway, all these factors making the resale potential look distinctly poor.

So, to make it absolutely clear, more systems coming out, an oversupply of parts, restrictions on reuse, and fewer opportunities to reinstall displaced equipment. This is why we may not be bidding for your old Option 11. I hope you will understand.

Remarkably, in some cases, it is possible to find a new home for your very expensive PABX. Here’s an outline of what a potential buyer will need from you:-

Keycode Sheets(s):- this lists the total potential capacity of the system and the software packages installed. Very few systems are the same, most different. This data has a marked influence on value. If voice mail is installed, then you will need to find the one for the mail module as well. Look for a blue card A5-sized wallet with A4 sheets inside it. You are safe to pass copies of these on to a potential buyer, as there’s nothing confidential or security-related on them. But keep the originals.

Card Listing:- Just what it says. There will be a designator “FALC”, “DLC” “SSC”, plus a part number “NTAK79BC” or similar, plus a “Release Number” (”Rls 05″) on each card. Oh, and quantities of these cards as well (please!)

Telephones:- Often called “terminals”. Disregard any analogue ones, but look for the “system telephones” normally equipped with an LCD display, and with a number on the base “M3820″, “M2616D”. In the case of the 2616D series, the letters “EH” indicate a model that may be more desirable than others. List colours, and if the body of the telephone has been faded by sunlight (common with light grey ones).

Finally, drop us a line, as we may be able to help. We do have access to a “lonely hearts club” web facility for systems looking for a new home which occasionally gives good results.

And, has this slump meant that parts are being sold at silly prices?  Well, yes and no. In the case of “no”, it’s because stockists are trying to realise some return on inventory that has been sitting in storage for a long time, in some cases years. And any ethical reseller will not want to depress the market any further for the sake of a quick return.

Meanwhile, we hope that the market gets better. But we don’t think it will. Sorry.

Rob Govier

Telecom Green Ltd