It has been a certain tome from now that the European Commission has been promoting the idea to reach an agreement in order to deliver a common charger compatible with mobile phones of all brands. Thanks to the collaboration between fourteen manufacturers and the European Commission this objective has become reality, and Commissioner responsible for industry and entrepreneurship, Antonio Tajani, has received the first prototype of this new common mobile charger.

The reasons for this normalisation are not only related to the inconveniences caused for users from the fact that they have to discard an old charger each time they buy a new mobile phone, they are also based on the environmental issues which such inefficiencies.

The presentation of the prototype of the universal charger for data-enabled mobile phones sold in the EU to Vice President Antonio Tajani, from Bridget Cosgrave, Director-General of DIGITALEUROPE, the largest Association of European digital technology industry, is with no doubt the culmination of a intense collaborative work between the Commission and the industry. It is a a tangible proof of how standardisation can facilitate the life of Europeans, without needing new regulations.

Besides, the process to reach this prototype has been relatively quick, as it was in June 2010 when the European Commission asked world leading mobile phone producers to ensure compatibility of data-enabled mobile phones, and only six months later, in December 2010 the new technical standards for data-enabled mobile phones were published. Once this process has been completed, mobile phone manufacturers can proceed with required design and testing changes for chargers ensuring compatible phones are safe and interoperable.

From now on, data-enabled mobile phones from different brands will be able to use the same charger. The fourteen manufacturers which signed the Memorandum of Understanding regarding Harmonisation of a Charging Capability for Mobile Phones have agreed to introduce the new common mobile phone chargers onto the European market in the course of 2011. These manufacturers include Apple, Emblaze Mobile, Huawei Technologies, LGE, Motorola Mobility, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research In Motion (RIM), Samsung, Sony Ericsson, TCT Mobile (ALCATEL), Texas Instruments and Atmel.