After several sessions and discussions, the ICT industry has finally come to an agreement on a single standard for the “universal charger”. The deadline for the sector to implement this solution is three years.
Last week, the ITU Membership (Study Nº 5 of ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T), better known as “Study Group No. 5”) reached a consensus on the tech specs of the universal charger for mobile phones. The following are among them:
- An “independent” micro USB cable that can be used with other devices (MP3 players, cameras, GPS devices).
- A charge for the power adapter no lower than 0.03 W.
- The recommended charging current must range from 750 to 1500 mA.
In addition to convenience for end users and the forthcoming reduction in waste generation, here are some other concrete advantages of this agreement:
- Safer chargers made of eco-friendly materials.
- A much faster and efficient battery-charging process, thereby reducing the power consumption of customers.
- A guide or reminder to unplug the charger when charging is complete.
Additionally, the standard meets the requirements of the Basel Convention for e-waste.
Telefónica applauds the work of the ITU-T and acknowledges its leadership in the development of standards that promote global energy efficiency. Telefónica’s Climate Change Office is pleased about this big step that makes a big difference in the ICT sector and its contribution to the fight against climate change. Now our challenge is to incorporate this standard in our mobile device standardisation and acquisition processes for our more than 287 million customers.
Congratulations!
