Indian Government Could Mandate the USB Type-C Charging Port for Smartphones, Tablet in 2025: Report

The Indian government is reportedly planning to mandate a standardized charging connector for smartphones, likely to be the USB Type-C port. This move aims to enable users to charge multiple devices with a single cable, reducing e-waste.

The European Union (EU) issued a similar directive in 2022, which comes into effect at the end of this year. The Indian government might also require laptops to use a Type-C port for charging at a later date.

Standardized USB Type-C Port

According to Livemint, citing sources familiar with the matter, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) may soon instruct device manufacturers to include uniform charging ports in smartphones and tablets.

Laptops are also expected to be included in this directive, with the rule reportedly coming into effect from 2026. The charging port under consideration is speculated to be the modern USB Type-C connector.

The proposed mandate will not cover wearable devices like smartwatches and basic feature phones. It is expected to come into effect starting June 2025, aiming to reduce e-waste generated by multiple cable types used by devices.

Taking its Ques from the EU Mandate

In 2022, the EU passed a comparable mandate, making USB Type-C the standard charging port for hardware such as smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld video-game consoles, and portable speakers.

This decision forced Apple to replace its proprietary lightning port with USB Type-C, beginning with the iPhone 15 series in 2023.

No Specific Time Frame

In November 2022, following a meeting with industry stakeholders, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh announced that there was broad consensus on adopting USB Type-C as the standard charging method for electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

Although no specific timeframe was mentioned at that time, India now appears ready to announce its common charger rules. The recent report also indicates that MeitY will grant an additional six months for all stakeholders to ensure compliance.

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