Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency, Anatel, has reportedly launched a public consultation on a proposal to make USB-C chargers mandatory for all mobile phones.
In a press release on Tuesday, Anatel stated, “The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) made available for contributions from the company the Public Consultation 45/2022, which presents the proposal to define technical requirements for assessing the compliance of wire charging interface with the USB type C standard in mobile phones.”
The Brazilian regulator admits its own push to harmonise charging on mobile phones has been inspired by the EU’s own proposal, noting USB-C “is already widely used by most global manufacturers and has internationally recognized standardisation, European standards” and similar calls in the U.S.
This makes the South American nation the third country to call for Apple to replace its Lightning connector with the USB-C standard, citing that the change could help reduce electronic waste.
In early June, the European Union put forth new rules that would require all smartphones to utilize the USB-C standard for charging.
Shortly after, U.S. senators called on the U.S. Commerce Department to mandate a universal common charger standard.
Now, Brazil has also called for universal charging support. But, like the EU, they believe Apple should swap its proprietary Lightning connector for the more widely-adopted USB-C.
According to the report, Brazilian regulators are pushing for smartphone manufacturers to standardise their charging ports. Anatel, the Brazilian regulatory agency, states that standardization would allow for greater consumer convenience.
Additionally, it believes that the move could reduce electronic waste by allowing customers to reuse chargers they already have.
Anatel’s proposal would require companies to switch to USB-C by July 1, 2024.
The proposal does, however, allow for companies to move away from charging cables entirely. Any device that can only be recharged wirelessly would not be required to implement a USB-C charging port.
The agency is allowing Brazilians and tech companies to share their opinions about the project until August 26, 2022.
Apple may already be working on a USB-C iPhone. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that the 2023 “iPhone 15” will abandon the Lightning connector and instead use USB-C.
