Brussels seeking universal charger cable for smartphones, tablets of all firms

The EU European Commission has presented a proposal aimed at requiring from 2023 that all portable electronic devices would be sold on the European market with a unified charger plug and a unified charger cable, Belgian news portal EurActiv reports.
The plan presented on Thursday, September 23, contains provisions to harmonise charging cables using USB Type C as the common point of reception and USB PD from the charging end. The product makers will need to inform consumers concerning any change related to the charging requirements.
«With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics – an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste,» commented the EU’s internal market commissioner Thierry Breton.
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The Commission’s plan also speaks of anti-bundling provisions, related to commercial offers that tie different products together in the same product bundle. For example, the smartphone makers will still be allowed to sell their device together with the charger, but they also need to offer the option of selling the charger alone, EurActiv reports.