The European Parliament has approved a new law that, as from the end of 2024, forces manufacturers of all mobile phones, tablets, cameras and other devices sold in the EU to include a USB-C charging port on their products in a bid to simplify things for consumers, who will no longer be faced with the cost and hassle of having to buy a different charger when they buy a new device that doesn't connect to their existing one .Also, all devices that support fast charging will now have the same charging speed, allowing users to charge their devices at the same speed with any compatible charger. Of course, this doesn't simplify things for Apple, which will have to change the ports on its iPhones, iPads and other devices if it wants to carry on selling them in the EU. (See EU to phonemakers: Come up with common charger.)

Ericsson has released a new report highlighting the growing significance of cellular technology in the digitalization of the energy sector. Utility companies, it says, will soon be able to harness cellular connectivity to help them expand capacity and make best use of their infrastructure. It also looks at the growing number of "prosumers" – consumers who feed energy back into the grid – and how 4G in particular will be crucial in handling this relatively new phenomenon of bi-directional energy flow. The report, Connected Energy Utilities, was produced in partnership with Arther D. Little.

For operators, of course, the soaring cost of energy is a real-world pain in the backside right now, and Orange is just the latest company to detail how it plans to address the issue in the coming chilly months. During peak consumption, Orange says it will cut 5-10% of its "instantaneous electricity consumption" in France for one hour per day, switching to electric battery for several thousand fixed-network installations. The temperature in the company's offices will be set at 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit), and quieter work spaces may be closed altogether to keep the bills down. Since the start of last month, window lighting at all Orange stores in France have been switched off 30 minutes after closing at the latest.

Across the border in Belgium, Orange has teamed up with Dutch incumbent operator KPN to investigate how 5G can accelerate the digitalization of the Westerschelde, which carries shipping traffic to the seaports of Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Terneuzen and Vlissingen and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. It is hoped that 5G will play a vital role in, for example, real-time data exchange to and from vehicles and vessels, ports, and the remote control and support of trucks and boats.

BT has introduced a scheme which will see replaced or decommissioned Cisco gear from a business customer's network shipped back to Cisco to be reused or recycled. BT claims that 99.9% of what is returned will avoid being sent to landfill. The operator describes the scheme's introduction as just the latest step in its promised transition to "circular" products, networks and operations by 2030.

Nokia has introduced improved versions of its Industrial 5G fieldrouter and XR20 smartphone – the latter created in partnership with HMD Global – for use in hazardous environments.

— Paul Rainford, Assistant Editor, Europe, Light Reading