Indian government is planning to introduce two common charging ports for mobile and wearable electronic devices. One of these will be the USB Type-C port for mobiles, smartphones and tablets, and the other will be the common port for wearable electronic devices. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has issued quality standards for manufacturing USB Type C charging ports and chargers.

Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said that the stakeholders have agreed to adopt the USB Type C charger. Only after this the quality standards have been issued by BIS. At the same time, study of single charging port for wearable electronic devices like watch is being done at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur. After receiving the report in this regard, the Department of Consumer Affairs (BIS) will discuss with the stakeholders of the industry.

Will implement common charging port step-by-step

On mandating only two types of charging ports in the country, Singh said, “We have to meet the European Union deadline of 2024. This is because mobile and electronics manufacturers have global supply chains. We do not sell our products in India only. In the meeting held on 16th November with the stakeholders, it was agreed that the common charging port should be implemented step-by-step."

Why does the government want Type C charger?

In fact, in the United Nations Climate Change Conference i.e. COP 26 held in Glasgow in November last year, Prime Minister Modi had announced LIFE i.e. Lifestyle Concept for Environment. The government is constantly working to reduce e-waste. The government wants to reduce the emission intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030.

What is e-waste?

E-Waste or Electronic Waste are those electrical goods that we throw away after use. With the increase in population, our needs are increasing. Every member of the house has personal gadgets. Because of this E-Waste is increasing.

Has any other country implemented this rule now?

It has been agreed in the European Union that from the year 2024 all electronic devices will use the same charger. By 2024, USB Type C charging ports will be built into all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the European Union.

The European Union believes that with this decision, consumers will be able to save up to 250 million euros ($ 267 million), i.e. up to Rs 2,075 crore, every year on charger purchases. If similar chargers are available, about 11 thousand tonnes of electronic waste can also be reduced.

Brands Using Type C Charger

Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Realme, Motorola have switched to phones with Type C charging port. Talking about the price of Type C port and charger, they start from 100 to 150 rupees.

Apple will bring Type-C charging port next year

The Android ecosystem is slowly moving towards the USB Type-C ecosystem. These options are being given for charging and other connectivity in almost all new smartphones. However, Apple is still providing its devices with Lightning port. The company is planning a USB Type-C charging port in the iPhone 15 Pro series.