Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 18 February 2009 08:08
IT Industry -
Market
Page 2 of 3
"The group agreed that by the 1st January 2012, the majority of all new mobile phone models available will support a universal charging connector and the majority of chargers shipped will meet the high efficiency targets set out by the OMTP (Open Mobile Terminal Platform), the industry body who developed the technical requirements behind UCS (universal charging solution)," the body announced this week.
2012 sounds a long way off, but if you look at it as the end of the year after next, plus one day, it's not that distant. Even so, you can't help wondering if the designs for 2011 handsets are already set in concrete.
Apart from the convenience factor, what other advantages come with the universal charger?
If the chargers are more efficient, then users will see a reduction in the amount of energy used and (in many places) a consequent reduction in greenhouse emissions from power stations.
And the industry suggests that selling chargers separately rather than including them with every phone will eliminate 13.6 to 21.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions currently associated with the manufacture and transport of chargers.
The expectation is that charger production may be halved.
"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," said Rob Conway, GSMA CEO and board member.
Call me cynical, but do you really believe that handset prices will fall by the cost of a charger? I can't help thinking that this is as much a plan to bolster handset margins as anything else.
How universal is UCS likely to be? Please
read on.
