UN approves universal mobile phone charger

Geneva  - The United Nations telecommunications unit has announced it's found the solution to the lack of universality in chargers for mobile phones.

The International Telecommunications Union in Geneva says it has approved "an energy-efficient one-charger-fits-all" solution to given juice to mobiles' batteries.

"Every mobile phone user will benefit from the new Universal Charging Solution (UCS), which enables the same charger to be used for all future handsets, regardless of make and model," a statement on the ITU website said.

"In addition to dramatically cutting the number of chargers produced, shipped and subsequently discarded as new models become available, the new standard will mean users worldwide will be able to charge their mobiles anywhere from any available charger, while also reducing the energy consumed while charging."

The new standard is based on information from the GSM Association, which predicts that the one-charger-for-all will lead to "a 50-per-cent reduction in standby energy consumption, elimination of 51,000 tonnes of redundant chargers, and a subsequent reduction of 13.6 million tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions each year."

The ITU said the move is part of its efforts to mitigate climate change by reducing waste and cutting energy usage. (dpa)