In a deal brokered by the GSMA trade association, the big players in the market such as LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsugn and Sony Ericsson have agreed to the proposal.

The GSMA said that going to this single standard will not only make life easier for the more than 3 billion mobile phone users in the world today, but it will also help the environment.

The GSMA will also push manufacturers to develop chargers that use 50 per cent less power. The organisation believes that eliminating the need for people to replace lost chargers will reduce greenhouse gases emitted in the manufacturing and transporting of these extra chargers. It will also mean less landfill waste because people won't throw away chargers when they stop using their old phones.