Starting June 14, all cell phones made in China are required to use a universal charger interface in a bid to cut waste and lower user costs, according to the Ministry of Information Industry.

MII began recommending the new charger a year ago and has now made the rule compulsory. Products that don't meet the standard won't be approved for production, handset makers said.

Under the new technology rule, users can continue using a charger with a USB, or universal serial bus, interface, even if they change mobile phone brands, according to MII.

Users can even charge their handsets via a connection with a laptop, experts said.

"The goal is to reduce the number of chargers that are thrown away each year because of cell phone upgrades," He Guili, director of the Telecommunications Academy under the ministry, said in a previous interview.

China is home to more than 450 million mobile phone users, and nearly 100 million cell phones are replaced every year in the country, according to the MII.

Cost savings

Experts estimate that the new standard may save nearly 2.4 billion yuan (US$300 million) each year for handsets made in China if the cost of each charger is set at around seven yuan to eight yuan, according to Lou Peide, executive secretary-general of the China Mobile Communications Association.

Currently, more than 15 models of new chargers from 14 suppliers are approved to be sold in China, according to the ministry.

Mobile phone makers, including Nokia and Motorola, said they will comply with the rule, but not all could say when they will launch their first products with the new charger.

Nokia's 8600 phone, which is going on the market soon, will adopt the new charger, according to Maggie Xu, Nokia China's spokeswoman based in Shanghai.

Ningbo Bird has kicked off one phone with the new charger and is expected to launch another three in July, the country's No 2 home-grown handset vendor said.

Overseas phone makers complained about the rule previously, contending it will add costs and influence their global distribution.