Mobile Industry Unites to Drive Universal Charging Solution for Mobile Phones

17 February 2009, Barcelona, Spain

The GSMA and 17 leading mobile operators and manufacturers today announced that they are committed to implementing a cross-industry standard for a universal charger for new mobile phones. The aim of the initiative, led by the GSMA, is to ensure that the mobile industry adopts a common format for mobile phone charger connections and energy-efficient chargers resulting in an estimated 50 per cent reduction in standby energy consumption, the potential elimination of up to 51,000 tonnes of duplicate chargers¹ and the enhancement of the customer experience by simplifying the charging of mobile phones.

The group has set an ambitious target that by 2012 a universal charging solution (UCS) will be widely available in the market worldwide and will use Micro-USB as the common universal charging interface. The group agreed that by the 1^st January 2012, the majority of all new mobile phone models available will support a universal charging connector and the majority of chargers shipped will meet the high efficiency targets set out by the OMTP (Open Mobile Terminal Platform), the industry body who developed the technical requirements behind UCS.

'The mobile industry has a pivotal role to play in tackling environmental issues and this programme is an important step that could lead to huge savings in resources, not to mention convenience for consumers,' said Rob Conway, CEO and Member of the Board of the GSMA. '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 also make life much simpler for the consumer, who will be able to use the same charger for future handsets, as well as being able to charge their mobile phone anywhere from any available charger. UCS chargers will also include a 4-star² or higher efficiency rating, which is up to three times more energy-efficient than an unrated charger³. Furthermore, with potentially 50 per cent less chargers⁴ being manufactured each year, the industry can expect to reduce greenhouse gases in manufacturing and transporting replacement chargers by 13.6 to 21.8 million tonnes a year. To ensure the uptake of a universal charging solution, the operators and manufacturers who have partnered with the GSMA to launch this initiative are working alongside the OMTP to roll-out the new solution in order to meet the targets set for 2012. The initiative will also work with the wider operator and manufacturing communities to secure global participation and commitment as well as educate the industry and promote the benefits of a universal charger via a targeted marketing campaign.

The initial group of companies who have joined the GSMA's UCS initiative 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 - some of the world's largest mobile operators and manufacturers who together are committed to making a universal charging solution a reality up to 2012 and beyond.


Supporting quotes

'Motorola is proud to be an advocate of the GSMA's universal charging solution,' said Dr. Bill Olson, Director, Office of Sustainability and Stewardship, Motorola Mobile Devices. 'This initiative aligns very closely with our company's commitment to create environmentally responsible products that meet consumers' needs.'

Mitti Storckovius, Director of Environment, Devices at Nokia said: 'Over the last few years, Nokia has pioneered many energy saving features, from chargers using 90% less energy to alerts reminding people to unplug chargers. 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.'

'Orange is at the forefront of bringing simplicity to its customers and actively promotes convenient and energy efficient solutions to bring this about,' said Brigitte Bourgoin, Executive VP, Head of Personal Line of Business and member of the GSMA Board of Directors. 'This new approach to a charging solution is a major achievement and a significant step forward in reducing the waste and energy consumption of using mobile phones.'

'This initiative will also open the door to innovation in the operator retail presence as it is envisioned that chargers and mobile devices may be distributed separately in the near future, which will allow consumers to re-use existing chargers with other devices; reducing the overall number of chargers required. To this end the Orange ambition is that over two thirds of our sales will rely on this new charging solution,' added Brigitte Bourgoin.

'Qualcomm supports and welcomes the GSMA's Universal Charging initiative and supports USB charging throughout its current 3G chip portfolio. The potential environmental and consumer benefits of such an initiative are compelling. Efforts to reduce the environmental impact of mobile charging, whilst making mobile usage more straightforward for the consumer, are to be applauded,' said Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Qualcomm Europe.

'Samsung seeks to actively take responsibility for the future of our environment. 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, R&D Planning, Mobile Communication Division, Samsung Electronics.