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In partnership with the European Commission,
companies including Nokia, Samsung, Apple,
Motorola and Sony Ericsson have signed up to
a project, which will harmonise charging
accessories sold in EU member states in a
bid to save money and protect the environment.
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The universal
charger will utilise micro-USB connection technology and all
new devices sold will have to be compatible with this
standard although the initiative only applies to
"data-enabled" mobile phones. Whilst the percentage of smart
phones versus standard mobile phones is still relatively
low, it is rising quickly and by 2010 it is expected that
most mobile phones will be data-enabled. |
"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."
Günter Verheugen
Commissioner, EU Industry |
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EU Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen
said: "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. This also means
considerably less electronic waste, because
people will no longer have to throw away
chargers when buying new phones."
In a communiqué, Brussels highlighted the
wide range of chargers on the market today,
many of which are only compatible with one
kind of device. It claimed that almost every
household has a collection of chargers,
which can no longer be used as phones are
upgraded and old models discarded on a short
life cycle.
Last February, the GSM Association, which
includes most of the major players in mobile
telephony, estimated that the creation of a
standard charger compatible with all brands
could contribute to the halving of energy
consumption. According to the GSMA, between
50 and 80 per cent of the 1.2 billion mobile
telephones sold worldwide each year were
replacement purchases generating up to
80,000 tonnes of waste in redundant
accessories.
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Delta Comtech Ltd
Artillery House, Heapy Street
Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 7JB |
Tel:
0844 412 8102
info@delta-comtech.co.uk |
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