India could be taking a leaf from the European Union book when it comes to implementing charging standards for smartphones and other electronic devices. However, from what the latest developments indicate, it may go one step further and consider more than one universal charging port.
According to a report by 91Mobiles, the Government of India is willing to bring in legislation to ensure manufacturers adhere to a universal charging port. The Consumer Affairs Secretary has stated that the government will soon be setting up a panel of experts. The government held a meeting yesterday with various stakeholders and smartphone manufacturers. Discussions would be underway to analyse and adopt a charging port technology for all electronic devices manufactured in the country.
Surprisingly, the government will be looking on making another charging port universal across products apart from the Type-C port. The report is unclear which would be the second charging port that would be universally compatible for the consumers in India.
The European Union recently passed legislation that mandated any electronics manufacturer to include Type-C ports as the charging standards. For years, many manufacturers except Apple have moved to Type-C on their smartphones. Apple’s iPhones have always come with the Lightning Port. The EU has provided a deadline to implement the change by 2024.
The Type-C ports offer faster data transfer speeds and higher wattage charging. There are reports that Apple will finally add Type-C to iPhone 15 next year. The company is also expected to refresh the charging cases for the AirPods along with other accessories to include Type-C.
Why a second universal port?
It’s unclear why the government is not focusing on not one but two separate universal charging standards. There are already smartphones in the budget and mid-range segment that do feature Type-C.
If the micro USB port becomes an industry standard charging port, it will help to reuse countless cables and charging adapters. It would, however, be a more viable option for budget smartphones and feature phones. These smartphones are in larger demand across the country, especially in rural areas.
This is a win-win situation for bigger and smaller brands in India. Adding a Type-C port on a feature phone seems overkill. However, none of the companies needs to worry about manufacturing any additional cables or adapters. The primary intention to reduce e-waste is achieved with ease.
