U.K. mobile co's snub "phone for the elderly"

The wireless industry's razor-sharp focus on the youth market has left the senior market relatively untapped. But one U.K. firm is learning that operators aren't that keen on the senior market. Communic8, a distributor of the Emporia Life handset, can't find a carrier to support it or a store to sell it in. The £170 handset is now only available online. It features easy-to-use buttons, simple display screen and a large, red panic switch on the back. Charities for the elderly have accused the mobile industry of ageism for not stocking the phones.

Communic8's head Stewart Smith summed up the industry's reluctance to accept the phone: "Currently [carriers are] very much driven by the youth market or the business sector because that's where they make their revenue. It's difficult to see where a product like this would fit within their portfolio."

For more on Communic8's search for a partner:
- read this BBC article

Related Article:
Jitterbug not afraid of backlash from youth-oriented industry. Article