RIYADH: As part of an initiative to improve user experience and reduce electronic waste, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ will adopt a unified charging standard for electronic devices, mandating USB Type-C ports. The new regulation, which took effect on Jan. 1, follows a decision by the Communications and Space Technology Commission in partnership with the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization.
The goal of this unification is to streamline charging and data transfer technology across the Kingdom, ensuring higher-quality technical products and enhancing consumer convenience.
CST and SASO have estimated that the new policy will reduce the local demand for various types of charging ports by over 2.2 million units each year. It will also save consumers more than SR170 million ($45.2 million) annually and support the Kingdom’s sustainability goals by cutting electronic waste by nearly 15 tonnes per year.
The first mandatory phase includes mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, e-readers, portable video game consoles, headphones, earphones, loudspeakers, keyboards, computer mice, portable navigation systems, and wireless routers. A second phase, beginning on April 1, will expand the mandate to include laptop computers.
