Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG are among the companies
which have signed up to the pact. Industry body the GSM Association
(GSMA) said that the companies had chosen micro-usb as the charging
connection standard for phones.
The announcement comes just days after European Union Industry
Commissioner Gunther Verheugen said that the Commission would
legislate if phone makers could not agree a standard charger.
Verheugen told German radio station Deutsche Welle that he was
becoming impatient at the industry's refusal to create a standard
charger and that the Commission would force manufacturers into
complying with its wishes if it had to.
The industry has now said that it will unify chargers to help
reduce the massive waste involved in each manufacturer having its
own charger, and some phone makers having different chargers for
different models within their ranges.
"By supporting this industry initiative on common charging
solutions, and enabling consumers to choose if they need a charger
with every new device or can re-use existing ones, we can
contribute further in improving the industry's environmental
footprint," said Mitti Storckovius, director of environment and
devices at Nokia.
"The universal charging solution presents a unique opportunity
for our industry to bring positive benefits to the environment and
also to the end-user experience," said WS Lee, vice president of
Samsung Electronics.
The GSMA said that it expected the move to result in the
manufacture of 50% fewer chargers a year, based on the assumption
that half of phones sold are replacements.
Mobile phone networks such as 3 and Vodafone have also backed
the plan.
The GSMA said that it hopes that by 2012 a universal charger
will be "widely available in the market worldwide" and that the
"majority" of mobiles being made will have a micro-usb charging
socket by 1st January 2012.
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