Uniform device charges to be rolled out in India in phased manner: mobile industry

The Consumer Affairs Ministry announced on Wednesday that smartphone manufacturers and industry associations have agreed to a phased implementation of uniform charging ports for all electronic devices.

It was announced that a subgroup would be formed to look at the viability of uniform charging connectors for wearables.

This was decided following a discussion at the inter-ministerial task force meeting held here, which was presided over by Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.

Attending the meeting were officials from business organisations like MAIT, FICCI, and CII, educational institutions like IIT Kanpur and IIT (BHU), as well as central government agencies like the Environment Ministry.

"Stakeholders agreed that a phased roll-out of the common charging port may be conducted so that the same can be applied by the industry and adopted by consumers harmoniously," an official statement said, NIE reported.

During the discussion, there was a broad agreement among the participants that USB Type-C should be used as a charging port for electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Additionally, it was discussed whether a different charging connector should be used for feature phones, it said.

"Industry should overcome inertia in adopting a uniform charging port in the interest of consumer welfare and prevention of avoidable e-waste," the secretary said in the meeting.

A sub-group will be formed by the Department of Consumer Affairs to look into the viability of a uniform charging port for wearables. Representatives from organisations in the industry, educational institutions, etc. will be included in the sub-group.

The Environment Ministry may launch an impact study to evaluate and look into the potential effects of uniform charging ports in electronic devices with reference to e-waste, according to the statement.

The uniformity of charging ports is a step in the direction of the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) programme, which asks for "mindful and deliberate utilisation" rather than "mindful and wasteful consumption" by people all over the world.

The LiFE mission aims to establish and support the "Pro-Planet People" (P3), a global network of people who are committed to adopting and promoting environmentally sustainable lifestyles.