Common charger to raise price of low-end devices, curb export potential: ICEA

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Common charger for mobile phones by migrating to only USB type C port will raise the prices for low-end devices by Rs 150 and restrict the export potential of adapters from India, ICEA said on Thursday.

Mobile devices industry body ICEA -- whose members include Apple, Foxconn, Vivo and Lava -- said mobile phone players have already reduced the charging ports to only two types of charging points -- micro USB and USB Type C.

India Cellular and Electronics Association in a presentation to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has shared that in laptop chargers, there are still 9-10 types of charging port that needs to be reduced in sync with global standards to around two, like the mobile devices industry.

"There is a difference of around Rs 150 per unit between micro USB and USB type-C charger price. Over 90 per cent of smartphones are on micro USB and USB type C, and less than 2 per cent are micro type B, lightning chargers etc. Mobile phone players have already brought down numbers of chargers mainly to two types," ICEA chairman Pankaj Mohindroo told PTI.

According to ICEA, mobile charger manufacturing has been growing in India, and the industry is aspiring to have a 50 per cent share in the global market in the next five years. The industry body in its presentation to the government has shared that limiting the mobile phone charger to only one type of charging port will adversely impact the export potential of the country.

"The charging port ecosystem has largely become rationalised, with the vast majority of feature phones ( around 375 million) using micro-USB, and the vast majority of smartphones (around 500 million) using USB-C. Low power devices (such as hearables / wearables, Bluetooth speakers etc) are also moving towards USB-C for higher-end items," Mohindroo said. ICEA said that there is a need to evaluate any policy in light of environmental concerns, the consistent push towards innovation, and India's aspirations of being the leading manufacturer and exporter of chargers in the world.

"More particularly, we fully support the Department's view of setting up expert groups to examine the issue in more detail, in the Indian context," Mohindroo said.