element14, part of Leeds based technology business Premier Farnell, has signed an exclusive 15 month contract to manufacture and distribute the BBC micro:bit in the UK. This announcement means that children who did not receive a BBC micro:bit as part of the BBC’s Make it Digital initiative will be able to get their hands on it, further broadening the opportunity for young people to get into coding.
element14 is announcing pre-order facilities for consumers today and is the exclusive distributor for resellers and organisations looking to purchase the BBC micro:bit in quantities of 90 or above.
Prices range from £12.99 for a single BBC micro:bit; £14.99 for the starter kit ‘BBC micro:bit Go’, which includes a BBC micro:bit, mini USB, battery pack and four project ideas to get users started; and £140.00 for a ‘BBC micro:bit Club’ pack, which includes 10 devices and everything needed to get a coding club started.
Richard Curtin, Strategic Alliance Director at element14 said: “We are very excited about making this product available to buy in the UK and anticipate massive demand from parents, teachers and makers alike.
Following the initial distribution to one million year 7 school children through the BBC’s Make it Digital programme, we are gearing up our supply chain and manufacturing to make these devices available to buy. We expect the BBC micro:bit to be a hot item on Christmas lists in 2016 and in preparation for this we are also applying our experience with Raspberry Pi to build an ecosystem of accessories and programming projects for the BBC micro:bit to help coders of all ages bring the device to life.”
element14 is also progressing opportunities to distribute the BBC micro:bit outside of the UK.
This 15 month exclusive contract marks the next phase in element14’s drive to develop the next generation of engineers, getting young people into coding and supporting start-ups as they seek to commercialise their ideas and bring products to market.
