bis: USB Type-C to be standard mobile charging port from March 2025

Mobile device makers and technology companies in India will have to adopt USB Type-C as the standard charging port for electronic products by March 2025. “There is a global supply chain at play when it comes to chargers, therefore we have to align ourselves with the global timeline,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, secretary, ministry of consumer affairs.

“In India the directive will kick in three months after the European Union,” he added. According to the latest directives from the EU, all the smartphones including iPhones sold in its member states should come with a common USB Type C charger from December 28 of 2024. Laptop makers have been given time until 2026 to comply.

While over 98% of Android smartphones use USB Type-C as charging port, iPhones rely on proprietary Lightning port. “The objective is to reduce the number of chargers per household thereby minimizing the amount of e-waste generated,” Singh added.

The government has also formed a sub-group to examine the feasibility of uniform charging ports for wearables.

USB Type-C is a cable and port standard set by the USB Implementers Forum, a global non-profit organization created to promote and maintain specifications of the universal serial bus.