Mobile phones to have common chargers from 2011, EU commission says

Jul 30, 2010, 14:32 GMT

Brussels - Starting next year, the vast majority of mobile phones sold in the European Union will use the same charger, the European Commission announced Friday.

'It is expected that consumers will be able to use the same, one-size-fits-all charger ... from the beginning of 2011,' commission spokesman Dennis Abbott said, confirming a report published in the German daily Die Welt.

The official said universal chargers 'will make life much simpler for EU consumers' and are expected to produce 'very significant' environmental benefits by reducing the number of unnecessary chargers and introducing higher energy efficiency standards.

However, the innovation is only expected to cover the most recent types of handsets, those with USB connectors to personal computers.

'Many current mobile phones already use this technology so the new charger may look very familiar,' Abbott said.

The move was not dictated by EU legislation, but came out of a voluntary agreement that the EU executive encouraged phone manufacturers to sign in 2009, the official added.

The agreement was backed by 'the main mobile phone manufacturers,' Abbott said, mentioning, among others, Apple, LGE, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, RIM, Samsung, SonyEricsson, Alcatel and Texas Instruments.

The list is not exclusive, as other companies could also join the new standard, Abbott indicated.