China to Unify Handset Earphone Standards
IT-Times, 7/27/09
The China Communications Standards Association (CCSA) has said that a document outlining a new required standard for earphone jacks on mobile phones has been approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), to take effect on September 1. According to experts, the new standard will conform with international specifications for earphones on personal entertainment devices, allowing the same earphones to be used on all mobile phones, computers, MP3 and MP4 players.
He Guili, head of China Telecommunication Technology Labs (CTTL), said that the new earphone jack standard has already been enforced on E-Surfing brand handsets procured by China Telecom (NYSE: CHA; 0728.HK), adding that "more than 50% of earphone jacks on mobile phones that come through CTTL for testing already meet the standard, and the cost for manufacturers to make the change is low, therefore we believe that the standard will be implemented very quickly once it goes into effect."
According to rough estimates from a source in CCSA, 100 mln mobile phones are put on the market in China each year, and if a set of earphones costs RMB 20, the standard will save China RMB 2 bln in manufacturing costs.
Keywords: accessory E-Surfing 0728.HK CCSA CHA China Telecom CTTL He Guili MIIT standard wireless handset
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