World Scene: Germany

Universal charger soon

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations' telecom arm, said yesterday it had given its stamp of approval "to an energy-efficient one-charger-fits-all" new mobile phone solution.

"Every mobile phone user will benefit from the new Universal Charging Solution (UCS), which enables the same charger to be used for all future handsets, regardless of make and model," the ITU said in a statement. The association hopes a universal charger will help reduce waste by cutting down on the number of chargers produced and then thrown away with the purchase of a new handset.