Phone makers sign standardised-charger pact

 

Gallery

Posted on 29 Jun 2009 at 13:37

Top mobile phone suppliers have agreed to back an EU-wide standardisation of phone chargers, the European Commission has said, hailing the pact as good news for consumers and the environment.

The agreement by Nokia, Sony Ericsson and other industry majors will mean that telephones compatible with standard charging devices are available in Europe from next year, said the EU executive, which has pushed for such a deal.

"People will not have to throw away their charger whenever they buy a new phone," said EU industry commissioner Guenter Verheugen, estimating that unwanted phone accessories account for thousands of tons of waste in Europe each year.

The Commission said the agreement would involve the creation of an EU norm, and that the new generation of mobile phones would use a standard micro-USB socket to ensure compatibility.

Motorola, Apple, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung and Texas Instruments have also signed the agreement, the Commission said.

"The days of drawers full of useless old mobile phone chargers will soon be over. Common sense has prevailed," said Conservative consumer spokesman, Malcolm Harbour MEP. "Mobile phone companies should consider whether a new charger is now needed with every handset if there is a possibility that an old one can be recycled."

"This is a simple agreement that will have an extremely positive impact on users' lives. We will no longer have to worry about forgetting our chargers and having to ask around to find one that is compatible," he added.

Author: Reuters