The European Commission announced today that 10 mobile phone producers, which represent some 90 percent of the mobile phone market in the European Union, have signed a voluntary agreement to use standardized chargers for mobile phones using a micro-USB connector. The agreement addresses the EC's concern that mobile phone chargers create needless electronic waste.

European Commission Vice-President G�nter Verheugen said during a press conference today that the mobile phone market in Europe alone is responsible for thousands of tons of waste each year as phones are upgraded and old ones are discarded on a short life cycle.

"In the European Union market alone, there are about 185 million new mobile phones a year," Verheugen said. "We're talking about a very short life cycle. Worse than that, if you've got different phones, it's always a problem of making sure you've got the right charger." He held up a mass of different chargers to illustrate his point. The standard should go into effect by the middle of next year, with new phones being provided with a charger that conforms to the standard. Eventually, phones are expected to be offered without a charger, ultimately reducing waste and hassle for the end user.

The standard will use USB for charging, and use a micro-USB connector on the phone itself, so ideally any charger could be used with any phone. "On principle, you would never have to buy a new charger again," Verheugen remarked. The proposed standard only applies to "data-enabled" mobile phones, though the percentage of smart phones versus standard mobile phones is continually increasing.

So far, the 10 companies that have signed the "Memorandum of Understanding" submitted to the EC includes Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Texas Instruments. The commission estimates that these 10 companies represent approximately 90 percent of the mobile phone market in Europe.

The agreement is similar to one adopted by the GSM association earlier this year, which calls for USB charging and standardizing on a micro-USB port on the device, and also coincides with a Chinese standard that all new mobile phones must use USB for charging. "We are optimistic that this standard could be adopted in other geographies," said Bridget Cosgrave, director of DigitalEurope, a trade group that represents consumer electronics companies.

The EC had been asking for a consensus on the charging issue from the mobile industry to address the problem of ever-changing chargers. "If there were not to be a voluntary agreement, then this year even, we would be looking to come forward with draft legislation," said Verheugen. "But this voluntary agreement is a much better state of affairs."