Independent Industry Alliance Launches to Champion Secondary IT Market in Europe

Free ICT Europe (FIE) established to support industry expected to be worth €90bn, providing an additional 100,000 European jobs by 2017

A group of independent European IT services operators have announced the formation of an international alliance, established in order to champion the growth of the secondary IT market in Europe and to raise awareness of common industry issues. Free ICT Europe (FIE) represents members of the IT aftermarket. It aims to secure the right of ownership and the freedom for consumers and businesses alike to freely choose their sales, maintenance and repair providers.

The ICT secondary market is a critical source of value for European SMEs, multinational companies and publicly owned entities. Ensuring access to locally sourced ICT services and products enable organisations to extend the life and improve the service to ICT assets while realising better value. More than €10bn is saved each year by organisations operating in Europe as a result of the value and competition delivered by local European companies.

FIE works to address the restrictive and unfair practices undertaken by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), that prevent customers from having the freedom to support, repair and resell IT equipment and software.

Mainly composed of independent SMEs and representing over 50,000 European jobs in a market worth €30bn, the secondary IT market is characterized by a highly skilled European based workforce, serving local businesses. With the emergence of a software secondary market, the potential growth of this sector is expected to be worth €90bn and an additional 100,000 European jobs by 2017.

Christina Van Oostrum, President of Free ICT Europe commented,

“FIE was formed in light of the challenges faced by our customers, and we are proud to provide a united voice for the industry to address the uncompetitive activities of OEMs. Their opaque practices lead to significant economic, social and environmental consequences for customers and Europe as a whole.”

“Above all, we want to ensure the provision of a local, reliable service to customers that represents value for money. FIE will work to safeguard the existence of the valuable European ICT secondary market by championing transparency, consumer rights, and the freedom of choice to support, repair and resell.”