The Saudi authorities announced that the first phase of the unified electronic device charging standard will be adopted from January 1, 2025, and the use of USB Type-C ports will be mandatory on various electronic devices. The above decision was jointly made by the Saudi Communications and Space Technology Committee (CST) and the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organizations (SASO), and was first announced in August 2023.
The goal of this unified charging standard is to simplify charging and data transmission technology across the Kingdom, ensuring higher quality technology products and improving consumer convenience.
CST and SASO estimate that the new policy will reduce local demand for various charging ports by more than 2.2 million per year, saving consumers more than 170 million riyals ($45.2 million) per year, while also reducing nearly 15 tons of e-waste per year.
This regulation is implemented in two phases. In the first phase, mandatory electronic products include mobile phones, tablet computers, digital cameras, e-readers, portable video game consoles, headphones, earbuds, speakers, keyboards, computer mice, portable navigation systems and wireless routers. The second phase will begin on April 1, 2026, and the mandate will be extended to laptops.
Coincidentally, the European Union will implement unified charging standards from December 28, 2024, mandating the use of USB Type-C ports, which is suitable for most electronic devices. From April 28, 2026, laptops will also be included in the scope of the mandatory charging standards.