GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communication Association) has revealed that it has teamed up with 17 leading mobile companies to introduce and develop a universal charging solution that will use a Micro USB as its charging interface.
The initial group of companies who are interested in this project include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone.
Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA, opined “The mobile industry has a pivotal role to play in tackling environmental issues and this program is an important step that could lead to huge savings in resources, not to mention convenience for consumers. There is enormous potential in mobile to help people live and work in an eco-friendly way and with the backing of some or the biggest names in the industry, this initiative will lead the way.”
A universal charger will be beneficial for consumers as it enables them to use the same charger for future handsets along with charging their phones anywhere from a device that belongs to a different manufacturer. By introducing this device into the market, the mobile industry is making an environmentally sound move as a universal charger reduces standby energy up to 50 percent.
It will also remove around 51,000 tonnes of duplicate chargers. GSMA claim that the UCS chargers offer a 4-star or higher efficiency rating that is three times more energy efficient than an unrated charger.
The universal charger can be expected to materialize in real by 2012.