“The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization, in collaboration with the Communications and Information Technology Commission, announces the mandatory stages of the Unified Charging Port Project for mobile phones and electronic devices in the Saudi market.
Starting from January 1, 2025, companies and suppliers are required to unify the charging ports to be of the (USB Type-C) standard, following the technical and administrative requirements stated in the technical regulations and standards.
This project is part of the efforts by both organizations to enhance the regulatory framework for the electronic devices market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It aims to improve the user experience in the country by eliminating additional costs and providing high-quality charging and data transfer technology, additionally, the project supports environmental sustainability by reducing electronic waste.
The implementation of this mandate is expected to reduce the local consumption of chargers and charging cables for mobile phones and electronic devices by over 2.2 million units annually, resulting in savings of more than 170 million Saudi riyals per year for consumers in the Kingdom.
Furthermore, it contributes to the Kingdom’s sustainability targets in the technology sector by reducing electronic waste by approximately 15 tons annually.
The enforcement of the mandate will occur in two phases, the first phase, starting on January 1, 2025, will cover mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, e-readers, portable video game consoles, headsets, earphones, speakers, keyboards, portable navigation systems, portable speakers, and wireless routers, the second phase will commence on April 1, 2026, and will include laptops.
The mandate also includes the obligation to support full power delivery through the USB port using the fast-charging protocol “USB PD” in the mentioned devices, regardless of the charging device.
All technical details and specifications related to this requirement are included in the regulations, along with the necessary explanatory requirements to inform users, such as labeling and instructions regarding the availability of the charging device and the minimum and maximum supported power.
This decision falls within the regulatory roles of both organizations in the electronic devices market in the Kingdom and their efforts to protect consumers by raising the quality of technological products and contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals by reducing electronic waste, it is also aligned with the developments in the largest global markets in the field of communications and technology.”
