Electrical and electronic goods Elektriske og elektoniske artikler

Electrical and electronic goods Elektriske og elektoniske artikler

Electrical and electronic goods classify into the same two broad categories as they do in Great Britain: white goods (hvitevarer) are large domestic appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, and brown goods (brunvarer) are smaller apparatuses, usually for entertainment, such as radios and television sets. Mobile phones and telecommunications equipment are in categories by themselves, even though they now are sold by the larger white and brown goods hypermarkets.

All electrical appliances are made for 230 V, 50 Hz electricity (Chapter 24), as is common throughout Europe. Appliances made for other electricity supplies, such as the 110 V, 60 Hz common in North America, will not work without a transformer. And even with a transformer, an appliance with a motor, such as a refrigerator or washing machine, will run more slowly and may seriously overheat. Moreover, as electrical connection regulations differ, a 110 V appliance with a transformer may be dangerous in use on a 230 V mains. Consequently, it wise to leave any 110 V 60 Hz appliances behind when you move. Competition is keen and sales are frequent, so in most cases, it cheaper to leave any larger appliances behind and buy new when you arrive.

Shops selling brown goods usually are listed under radio og TV in the Yellow Pages. The market is keenly competitive and sales are frequent, so prices are comparable with and sometimes lower than prices elsewhere in Europe. If you buy a TV, you must either have a TV licence (Chapter 44) or submit payment for one upon first purchase. If you intend to bring in a TV from abroad, be sure that it complies with the European television standards (Chapter 44). Most radio, TV, video and hifi goods now are sold by chain stores (Chapter 40), which rely on volume sales of internationally traded brands to keep prices low. Moreover, many shops sell factory seconds, overstocks and display goods at reduced prices; look for Bvarer in advertisements and on signs in shops. The phones use the GSM standard, which is the world most popular, in use across more than 200 countries by over a billion people.

Two mobile communications providers, NetCom and Telenor, have their own digital networks that provide coverage across the country, and Teletopia has a network providing coverage in the greater Oslo area. In turn, 16 service suppliers, who have customer systems but no infrastructure of their own, resell services on the NetCom and Telenor networks in competition with the network owners. The 19 companies compete principally through subsidising promotional sales in shops of mobile phones that can be used only with their cash card or subscription services for a specified lockin period (bindingstid), usually 12 months, after which you are free to choose the services of another operator. Mobile phones are sold without service provider locks (operat but at higher, normal market prices not subsidised by the service providers.

The service provider lock is not in the SIM card inserted into the phone, but in the internal software of the promotional phone. It cannot be legally changed by anyone other than the service provider, who can unlock a phone at any time, for a charge before the end of the lockin period and free thereafter. The charge before the end of the lockin period usually is high, as the service provider wishes to keep a customer gained in a promotional campaign. If you wish to unlock a phone after the end of the lockin period, such as to use another service provider SIM card in Norway or in another country, turn on your phone and call the service provider customer service number on another phone. Have your SIM card eightdigit mobile subscription number and the mobile phone 15digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number on hand. The IMEI usually is printed on the phone identity sticker under its battery, but you can also key in a call to 06 to bring it up on the phone display. With these two numbers, the service provider will verify that your phone no longer is in its lockin period and then send a signal to unlock it.

As in most other countries in Europe, the mobile phone networks in Norway operate in the 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz frequency bands. Most phones are called because they automatically select between these two bands. You will find the names of specialist shops listed under telefonapparater og systemer in the Yellow Pages. Competition is fierce, and sales are frequent.

You can deliver WEEE free of charge to dealers selling the same types of products, without having to make a new purchase. Likewise, you can deliver WEEE free of charge to municipal rubbish processing centres. In turn, six logistics subcontractors collect WEEE free of charge from about 4,000 collection points across the country and deliver it to 12 treatment and recycling plants. The newest of the plants, located at just south of Trondheim, has two processing lines, one for most WEEE and one for cooling appliances containing CFCs, such as refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners. Its annual capacity is about 12,000 tons of WEEE and cooling appliances.

The overall waste management system is operated by Elretur and now each year collects more than 11 kg of WEEE per capita. The operational costs of the system are borne in part by the government and in part by sellers of new goods, which means that every time you buy an electrical or electronic device, you pay part of the cost of its endoflife recycling.

White goods (Hvitevarer)

The typical home will have an array of white goods, including a coffee mill (kaffekvern), cooker/stove (komfyr), dishwasher (oppvaskmaskin), food processor (kj freezer (fryseboks), iron (strykejern), microwave oven (mikrob refrigerator (kj tumble dryer (t vacuum cleaner (st waffle iron (vaffeljern) and washing machine (vaskemaskin). As a rule, even large appliances are not included in housing sales or rentals, though they usually are included in furnished rentals.

Shops selling white goods are listed under hvitevarer in the Yellow Pages. The best buys often are at the chain stores (Chapter 40), which rely on volume sales of internationally traded brands to keep prices low in a highly competitive market. Moreover, many shops sell factory seconds, overstocks and display goods at reduced prices; look for Bvarer in advertisements and on signs in shops.