Mobile manufacturers and operators have agreed on a standard energy efficient universal charging solution.
The GSM Association unveiled that most of the mobile manufacturers and operators agreed to come up with a universal charging solution to power all future devices.

In the recent Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Rob Conway, the GSMA Chief Executive said that a common format for energy efficient mobile phone connections and chargers has been adopted by 17 leading operators and manufacturers (3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, Mobilkom Austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone) on Friday which is likely to be effective from early 2012.

Conway added, "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".
"There is enormous potential in mobile to help people live and work in an eco-friendly way and, with the backing of some of the biggest names in the industry, this initiative will lead the way."

Conway explained that the universal charging solution will not only help in reducing power consumption but also in the reduction of chargers being thrown away or created in the first place. With potentially 50 per cent fewer chargers being manufactured each year, the industry can expect to reduce greenhouse gases in manufacturing and transportation by 13.6 to 21.8 million tonnes a year.

Yet to hear from Apple and HTC on the standardisation of charging, as currently they do use mini-USB.