Announcement of the Mandatory Phases for Unifying Charging Ports for Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices in the Kingdom

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Commission announced the mandatory phases for unifying charging ports for mobile phones and electronic devices in the Saudi market, as companies and suppliers will be required, starting from 2025, to unify charging port types to be of the "USB Type-C" type, in accordance with the technical and administrative requirements set out in the relevant technical regulations and standard specifications, with the aim of improving the user experience in the Kingdom without imposing additional costs on them, providing high-quality charging and data transfer technology, in addition to supporting environmental sustainability principles by reducing the volume of electronic waste. The two commissions affirmed that the decision will contribute to reducing the volume of domestic consumption of chargers and charging cables for mobile phones and electronic devices by more than 2.2 million units annually, and contribute to saving consumers in the Kingdom more than SAR 170 million annually, in addition to achieving the Kingdom's sustainability targets in the technology sector by reducing electronic waste by about 15 tons annually. The two commissions explained that enforcement of the mandate decision will take place in two phases, with the first phase beginning on the first of January 2025, and will include mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, e-readers, portable video game devices, headsets, earphones, loudspeakers, keyboards, computer mice, in addition to portable navigation systems, portable speakers, and wireless routers, while the second phase will begin on the first of April 2026 and will include laptop computers. The two commissions indicated that the decision included a requirement to support the full power delivery function via the USB port through the fast charging protocol "USB PD" in the aforementioned devices, regardless of the charging device, in accordance with the details set out in the relevant technical regulations and standard specifications, and the decision also included the explanatory requirements that must be available on devices to raise user awareness, which include labeling and instructions related to the availability of the charging device and information on the minimum and maximum supported power. It is worth noting that this decision comes within the regulatory roles of the two commissions for the electronic devices market in the Kingdom, in addition to their role in protecting users, by raising the quality of technical products, and contributing to achieving sustainable development goals by reducing the volume of electronic waste, and in line with changes in the largest global markets in the field of communications and technology.