The GSMA Mobile World Congress saw 17 leading global operators and handset manufacturers coming together to work towards evolution of a universal charger for mobile phones. The initiative is estimated to result in reduction of greenhouse gases in manufacturing and transporting replacement chargers by 13.6 to 21.8 million tonnes a year.

The initiative lead by GSMA says that their aim is to ensure that the mobile industry adopts a common format called a universal charging solution (UCS) by 2012 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.

From consumer point of view, the universal charger will allow them to use the same charger for future handsets as well as charge it anywhere. The group claims that the universal format will incorporate a 4-star2 or higher efficiency rating which is up to three times more energy-efficient than an unrated charger3.

Currently the initiative includes 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone.