India's electronics industry moves towards uniform charging ports for smartphones

New Delhi: Electronics industry stakeholders in India have agreed to a phased roll-out of USB-C

type uniform charging ports for devices including smartphones and laptops, the Indian government said on Wednesday.

Adoption of the USB-C connectors, used by many Android based devices, is expected to hurt Apple Inc whose iPhones are charged using a Lightning cable currently.The iPhone maker has to change the charger for its phones in the European Union from autumn 2024, in order to comply with new rules that mandate a single charging port for most electronic devices.

"A broad consensus emerged among stakeholders on adoption of USB Type-C as a charging port for electronic devices," the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said in a statement after a government task-force meeting with industry groups representing smartphone players.

A different charging port may be adopted for phones lacking the more advanced features of a smartphone, such as being able to use the web to download applications, the ministry said.A group will also be formed to examine the feasibility of a uniform charging port for wearable devices like earphones and smart watches, the government said.The statement did not name any companies that attended the meeting or agreed to the proposal of a phased roll-out. The government would conduct a study to assess the environmental impact of switching to a uniform charging port, it said.Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.