Phone firms back common charger plan

Technical specifications for chargers drawn up by the European Commission have won the backing of 14 phone firms.

Firms that have pledged to make chargers to the common standard include Nokia, Research In Motion, Apple and Samsung.

The first chargers produced to the specifications are expected to be available in early 2011.

The common chargers will be based around micro-USB technology and could see the end of proprietary power ports on handsets.

The process to create common chargers began in June 2009 when the Commission won pledges from phone firms to back any standards it drew up.