Several top handset makers including Nokia have agreed to develop a universal charger for the European market.
Ten suppliers inked a memorandum of understanding to use Micro USB connectors for their phone chargers rather than continue forward with the countless proprietary formats that have bedeviled consumers.

The agreement was prompted by a European Commission threat to legislate conformity and comes into effect next year. Previously, the industry, led by the GSMA, have pledged to develop a universal charge by 2012.

“I am very pleased that industry has found an agreement, which will make life much simpler for consumers,” said EC industrial policy head Günter Verheugen. “They will be able to charge mobile phones anywhere from the new common charger. This also means considerably less electronic waste, because people will no longer have to throw away chargers when buying new phones.” Signatories include Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung, SonyEricsson, Texas Instruments.