Uniform battery standard promised for mobile phones

The IEEE's welcome move follows the development of a single standard for mobile phone chargers after customers and regulators complained of the waste involved in using incompatible chargers for different handsets. The IEEE has scheduled a meeting in February 2010 to begin the process of creating an agreed standard. 

While there is already a specification for handset batteries (the IEEE 1725 standard, which was established in 2006), it has not been widely implemented and some companies, like Apple use sealed battery units, which are not user replaceable.

The IEEE said it also recognised that battery technology has changed a lot over the last few years.

'With today's consumers demanding more processing strength and better power management from their phones, it is time for us to review and revise the standard to make sure that it covers the latest developments in battery technology and industry knowledge,' said Jason Howard, the head of the Cell Phone Battery Working Group.

Howard said his group will try to improve the 'quality and reliability of rechargeable lithium ion and lithium ion polymer batteries.'