EU gets tough on mobile charger regulations
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - 10:44:43
You may have noticed that mobile phone chargers have become a lot more uniform in the past four years, which is largely thanks to a memorandum launched the European Commission, designed to make handset manufacturers harness the same type of power port on all of their new devices.
The idea is that rather than using proprietary chargers, customers would be able to choose one cable which is compatible across all of their gadgets, both now and going forwards.
The Universal Charging Solutions (UCS) memo went into operation back in 2009, according to IT Pro, encompassing 14 individual manufacturers. However, politicians in Europe are going to beef up the compliance requirements, so that almost every chargeable product will need to use the same input.
This could have significant ramifications on a global scale, because Europe is an important market and making all mobile phones use the same type of charger will, no doubt, spread to other regions.
Network provider, O2, has been one of the leading forces in reducing the amount of chargers that are bundled alongside mobile phones. In a study, it found that well over three quarters of consumers would buy a new mobile devoid of a charger, if they had an opportunity to do so.
This can dramatically reduce the amount of electronic waste which is generated by mobile sales, and if you recycle old chargers and unwanted handsets, then you will be doing your bit for the environment.
Consumers have the power to make change here too and, if the retailer or network provider you use for your next handset purchase does not give you the option to get a phone without a charger in the box, let them know that you would like a greater degree of flexibility in the future.
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