Mobile phone producers in the European Union (EU) agreed on Monday to provide a single charger to users in the 27-nation bloc, bowing to pressure from the European Commission.
In a memorandum of understanding handed over to the commission, EU mobile phone makers took a self-commitment to ensure the compatibility of new data-enabled mobile phones on the basis of the Micro-USB connector as the interface to provide charging support.
"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 commission vice president Gunter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industrial policy.
Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major inconvenience for users and also leads to unnecessary waste. Therefore, the commission has requested the industry to come forward with a voluntary commitment to solve this problem so as to avoid legislation.
Following the voluntary commitment, which was made by Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, the commission is coming forward with a new EU standard. It said a single charger will not only reduce the number of chargers and allow users to enjoy an easier life with their mobile phones, but also have a positive environmental impact.
It is expected that the first generation of new inter-chargeable mobile phones will reach the EU market from 2010 onwards.
Source:Xinhua
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