Switzerland wants universal chargers for smartphones from mid-2017

Switzerland has decided that from the summer of 2017 only smartphones can be sold that can be charged via a universal cable. The Swiss are thus following a European directive that should also come into effect in 2017.

The Swiss authorities say that the telecom laws in the country are being adjusted to force manufacturers to support a universal charger. The aim is to bring legislation in line with that of the EU and to reduce the amount of electronic waste. The new legislation will come into effect next year, but mobile phone manufacturers will then have another year to comply with the legislation.

It was previously agreed in the European Union that a universal charger should be made mandatory. As in Switzerland, the legislation is expected to come into effect in 2017. Incidentally, the necessary political stumbling blocks still have to be passed. For example, Member States still have to draft national legislation before the new rules can actually be implemented. Switzerland is the first country to already have national legislation, bringing the European rules into force.

Switzerland hopes the regulation will harmonize the technological requirements for smartphone manufacturers with those of the EU. For example, products for the European market can also be automatically admitted in Switzerland, and vice versa. The Swiss are not a member of the EU, but they often recognize each other’s legislation to facilitate market access.

One of the manufacturers that may be in trouble with the new rules is Apple. It sticks to its own technology with the Lightning port. Most other manufacturers use micro-USB, and this standard has a good chance of being chosen as the connector that companies should support. Incidentally, Apple has already indicated at an earlier stage that it will probably supply a kind of lightning-to-USB converter in order to comply with the rules.