Common external power supply
In 2009, a European Commission initiative resulted in the specification of a common external power supply for use with data-enabled mobile phones sold in the European Union. The external power supply is the AC electric power adapter that converts household AC electricity voltages to the much lower DC voltages needed to charge a mobile phone's internal battery. Although compliance is voluntary, a majority of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturers agreed to make their applicable mobile phones compatible with Europe's common external power supply specification.
Purpose
According to the European Commission, a common external power supply / "charger" standard is desirable because,History
In June 2009, many of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturers signed an EC-sponsored memorandum of understanding, agreeing to make most new data-enabled mobile phones marketed in the European Union compatible with a to-be-specified common EPS. All signatories agreed to develop a common specification for the EPS "to allow for full compatibility and safety of chargers and mobile phones." 14 mobile phone manufacturers and technology providers signed the MoU – the original 10 signatories, Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, RIM, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Texas Instruments as well as Atmel, Emblaze Mobile, Huawei Technologies and TCT Mobile.To develop and formalize the needed technical standards, the Commission issued a standardisation mandate to CEN, CENELEC and ETSI on a common "charging capability for mobile telephones." In response, CENELEC created a task force to develop the interoperability specifications of a common external power supply. In line with the Dresden agreement signed in 1996 by both CENELEC and the International Electrotechnical Commission, work was transferred into the IEC. The aim was to develop the IEC International Standard,.
The standard was published in December 2010 as EN 62684:2010 "Interoperability specifications of common EPS for use with data-enabled mobile telephones" by CENELEC and in January 2011 by the IEC as IEC 62684:2011 with a technical update to the IEC standard in 2018.
The original Common EPS memorandum of understanding expired at the end of 2012. The Commission reported at the time that all of the fourteen MoU signatories, "have met their obligations under the MoU." Eight of the original MoU signatories signed a 2013 Letter of Intent to extend the 2009 MoU another year and, in 2014, five of those companies again signed a second Letter of Intent, effectively extending the MoU through the end of 2014.
Technical specifications
Cabling, connectors and adapters
A common EPS must include a cable with a micro USB-B connector for connecting to a mobile phone. This cable can be either captive or detachable. If detachable, the cable must connect to the power supply via a standard USB type-A plug.The MoU which defines the common external power supply as well as the related EC standardisation mandate both allow for the use of the common external power supply also with phones not equipped with a micro-USB receptacle. "... 4.2.1... if a manufacturer makes available an Adaptor from the Micro-USB connector of a Common EPS to a specific non-Micro-USB socket in the Mobile Phone, it shall constitute compliance to this article" and, "... An Adaptor can also be a detachable cable."
The type of AC "plug" provided on a common EPS can vary depending on the intended market of use. "Per regulatory requirements for each market.... preferred supplied input voltage range should be at least 90–264 V".
Reception
The common EPS initiative was generally well received by the public, although at least one European consumer group bemoaned the voluntary nature and narrow scope of the initiative and the fact that the EU's EPS specification does not set aggressive energy efficiency no-load consumption requirements.Some observers, noting Apple's continued use of proprietary, non-micro USB charging ports on their smartphones, suggested Apple was not in compliance with the 2009 Common EPS Memorandum of Understanding. The European Commission however, confirmed that all MoU signatories, "have met their obligations under the MoU," stating specifically, "Concerning Apple's previous and present proprietary connectors and their compatibility with the agreement, the MoU allows for the use of an adaptor without prescribing the conditions for its provision" and "The Commission does not have evidence that Apple has breached the agreement. The iPhone 5 can be used with an adaptor allowing it to be connected to the common charger."
Pending/future European legislation
In a 2013 amendment to a "Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament … relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment", the European Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection included a recommendation for "... A renewed effort to develop a common charger... highly desirable and consequently... beneficial in particular for consumers and other end-users." The parliamentary proposal applies to all radio equipment including mobile phones, tablet computers, car door openers, modems, etc. Yet, the draft law, approved overwhelmingly by the European Parliament on 13 March 2014, stipulates that it will be up to the European Commission to decide which specific types of radio equipment will have to be compatible with common chargers. Once formally approved by the Council of Ministers, member states will have two years to transpose the new regulations into national laws and manufacturers will have an additional year after that to comply.In 2020, January, the European Parliament passed a resolution, calling upon the European Commission to adopt rules on the mandatory introduction of common chargers for all mobile devices. Specifically the resolution calls upon the European Comission to, "...take action to introduce the common charger by adopting the delegated act supplementing Directive 2014/53/EU on radio equipment defining a standard for a common charger for mobile phones and other small and medium-sized radio equipment by July 2020, or, if necessary, by adopting a legislative measure by July 2020 at the latest;..."
Similar regional and global industry initiatives for mobile phone charging
Other mobile phone power supply and charging standards have been implemented in other parts of the world. Proposals for a global/industry-wide mobile phone charging solution have also been promoted by the International Telecommunication Union and by industry organizations GSMA and OMTP. The ITU and the GSMA/OMTP proposals are very similar to the European and Chinese charger standards although the GSMA/OMTP proposal is less flexible and has not been adopted by as many phone manufacturers as has the EU standard.Charger and interface standard in South Korea
In March 2001, the Korean Telecommunications Technology Association released a "Standard on I/O Connection Interface of Digital Cellular Phone". This standard describes the electromechanical interface specifications for cellular phone charging, wired data communication, analog audio, etc. and was released together with related test and certification specifications. The main feature of the standard is the specification of a 24-pin connector/socket for mobile phones to handle connections for power input and output, data communication, analog audio inputs and outputs and other signals. The 2007 revision of the standard specified a smaller 20-pin connector to succeed the 24-pin connector and added analog video output support, among other changes. Chargers with the new 20-pin connectors started appearing in 2008 and phone manufacturers were urged to include 24-to-20-pin adapters with new phones sold in Korea to enable the charging of new phones with the older 24-pin chargers.Charger and interface standard in China
In December 2006, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a new China Communications Standards Association standard, "Technical Requirements and Test Method of Charger and Interface for Mobile Telecommunication Terminal Equipment". This standard describes the electromechanical requirements for a common mobile device battery charger equipped with a USB type-A socket providing power at 5 V DC. All new mobile phones requesting network access approval in China from June 2007 are required to support charging from the new common chargers. The original 2006 regulation is flexible regarding the interface on the mobile phone itself, allowing for the use of adapter cables if the mobile device is not equipped with a standard USB connector. Among other things, the 2009 update adds references to USB On-The-Go support and the use of USB micro-B, micro-AB, mini-B; and Mini-10-pin and cylindrical type connectors on the terminal for charging.GSMA universal charging solution (UCS) and OMTP common charging solution (CCS)
In February 2009, the GSM Association, together with six mobile phone manufacturers and technology providers, and eleven mobile service providers, announced their commitment to implementing a cross-industry standard for a common/universal charging solution for new mobile phones and chargers. The aim of the GSMA initiative is "...to ensure that the mobile industry adopts a common format for mobile phone charger connections and energy-efficient charger...". Universal charging solution chargers are required to use micro-USB as the common universal charging interface and have a four-star or higher efficiency rating.The Open Mobile Terminal Platform industry forum specified the requirements of the GSMA's Universal Charging Solution and published these requirements under the title "Common Charging and Local Data Connectivity" in 2009. This document specifies the three components of a common charging solution : a charging and local data connector on the "terminal" consisting of a micro-B or micro-AB receptacle; a common power supply with a type-A receptacle; and a detachable type-A to micro-B cable to connect the power supply with the mobile phone. As of early 2011, an additional 10 service providers and one additional mobile phone manufacturer have joined the agreement.
In April 2009, the industry trade group The Wireless Association announced its support of the GSMA's Universal Charging Solution.
ITU Universal power adapter and charger solution
The International Telecommunication Union announced in October 2009 that it had also embraced the universal charging solution standard—based on input from the GSMA—as its "energy-efficient one-charger-fits-all new mobile phone solution." The ITU published Recommendation ITU-T L.1000, specifying a charger similar in most respects to that of the GSMA/OMTP proposal and of the Chinese charger and the EU's common EPS. The ITU specifies that the OMTP's more aggressive "preferred" no load consumption requirement be mandatory after a three-year "transition period" but is more flexible in allowing the use of captive cables and USB micro-B adapters in its "target solution" – similar to the European common EPS standard. The ITU recommendation was expanded and updated in June 2011.Other higher power charging standards for mobile devices
USB Power Delivery and Type-C specification
In 2012, the USB Power Delivery specification was released. Power Delivery provides the ability for 5 V devices to draw more than 7.5 W of power from USB PD-aware ports when using PD-aware USB cables. The specification also allows PD ports to provide even greater power at higher voltages over PD-aware cables; up to 36 W at 12 V and 60 W at 20 V and up to 60 W at 12 V and 100 W at 20 V.In August, 2014, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced the completion of the USB Type-C connector and cable specification. Type-C cables and connectors are reversible and are electrically backward compatible, but not physically backward compatible, with previous USB plugs and receptacles. New-to-existing cables and adapters have been defined. Some USB Type-C cables and connectors can support "USB performance at SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps and USB Power Delivery up to 100W" although USB Type-C cables are only required to support USB 2.0 data rates and 3 A of current. Such minimum-specification USB Type-C cables are sometimes referred to as "charge" cables because, for most mobile device battery charging applications, 60 W is more than sufficient and a higher data transfer speed is less important than minimizing cable cost and maximizing cable length.