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Major producers of mobile phones have reached an agreement with the European Commission to standardize phone chargers in an effort to reduce unnecessary waste and provide convenience for users.

The first generation of the new interchargeable mobile phones is set to reach the EU market in 2010.

Günter Verheugen

"I am very pleased that industry has found an agreement, which will make life much simpler for consumers. They will be able to charge mobile phones anywhere from the new common charger," said Gunter Verheugen, Vice-President the European Commission.

"This also means considerably less electronic waste, because people will no longer have to throw away chargers when buying new phones. I am also very pleased that this solution was found on the basis of self-regulation. As a result, the Commission does not consider it necessary to introduce legislation."

The chargers will be compatible with new data enabled mobile phones that will use a Micro-USB connector as the interface.

The Commission estimates almost every household has a collection of chargers that have become outdated over time. Old chargers currently generate several thousand tons of wastes a year.

Companies that have signed on to make mobile phone chargers standardized include Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, RIM, Samsung, Sony, and Texas Instruments.