Smartphones sold in India will require a standardised charging connector which is likely to be the widely-used USB Type-C port, according to a report. This new rule is said to be aimed at enabling users to use a single cable to charge multiple devices – a measure to reduce e-waste, similar to the mandate issued by the European Union (EU) in 2022 that goes into effect at the end of this year. The government could also mandate the use of a Type-C port to charge laptops at a later date.
Standarised USB Type-C Port
Citing people familiar with the matter, Livemint reports that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) may soon direct device manufacturers to include uniform charging ports in smartphones and tablets. This directive is also said to include laptops, but that rule will reportedly come into effect from 2026. The charging port in discussion is speculated to be the modern USB Type-C connector.
According to the report, the purported mandate won't include wearable devices such as smartwatches and basic feature phones. This move will reportedly come into effect starting June 2025, and is said to be aimed at reducing the e-waste generated by multiple types of cables used by devices, enabling the user to charge all their devices with one cable.
The EU also passed a similar mandate in 2022, making USB Type-C the standard charging port across hardware such as smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld video-game consoles and portable speakers. This move forced Apple to replace its proprietary lightning port with USB Type-C, starting with the iPhone 15 series in 2023.
In November 2022, the government reportedly reached a consensus to adopt USB Type-C as the standard method of charging. Following a meeting with stakeholders from the industry, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said at the time, “During the meeting, a broad consensus emerged among stakeholders on adoption of USB Type-C as a charging port for electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.”
While no timeframe was mentioned at the time, it seems India is now gearing up to announce its common charger rules. The recent report also suggests that, MeitY will provide six months of additional time to “ensure compliance” by all the stakeholders.
