All mobiles to use same charger within a year

Posted on 21 Mar 2010 at 07:34

Top mobile phone manufacturers have signed an EU-backed Memorandum of Understanding to produce a common charger for all handsets, reducing waste and compatibility problems from proprietary chargers.

The agreement was signed by all of the major manufacturers, including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and Apple, and proposes a single charger that uses the Micro-USB connector.

"I am very pleased that industry has found an agreement, which will make life much simpler for consumers. They will be able to charge mobile phones anywhere from the new common charger," said G?nter Verheugen, vice president responsible for enterprise and industrial policy for the EU Commission. "This also means considerably less electronic waste, because people will no longer have to throw away chargers when buying new phones. I am also very pleased that this solution was found on the basis of self-regulation. As a result, the Commission does not consider it necessary to introduce legislation."

In Europe it's estimated that old chargers are responsible for thousands of tons of waste each year, as old models are dumped for chargers that come with new phones.

The EU Commission believes that the first phones to use the new charger will be available from 2010.

Author: David Ludlow

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