Companies manufacturing lightning cables are staring into uncertainty following an announcement by The European Union Council setting 2024 as the deadline for phasing out lightning cables. The decision, if implemented, would see USB-C cables, loosely known as type C, become the universal charger for electronic gadgets.
“The elimination of the lightning chargers will not be a one-off affair. It will be a phased, gradual process. This will give time to local dealers to get innovative and getting alternative sources of supply. I don’t foresee any disruption of the supply chain links,” says Charles Kimari, the director of internet and mobile experience at Samsung, argues.
The regulations would have a significant effect on the majority of Kenyans whose smartphones are incompatible with the “type c” charger. It means this category of smartphone users have just two years to replace their current phones with type-c-compatible ones.
The revision, according to the EU is part of a larger effort to “address product sustainability, in particular of electronics in the EU market, and to reduce electronic waste. The goal, the union argues, is to prevent a new break-down in the market in order to continue to lower environmental waste, ensure consumer convenience and avoid so-called “lock-in” effects created by proprietary charging solutions.
“As wireless charging technology becomes more prevalent, the European Commission will be empowered to develop so-called delegated acts, on the interoperability of charging solutions,” reads the statement in part.