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Qualcomm gets smart rap over the knuckles

Qualcomm may have illegally paid a major customer for exclusively using its chipsets and sold chipsets below cost with the aim of forcing a competitor out of the market, writes the European Commission.

EU Commissioner in charge of competition policy Margrethe Vestager said: "Many consumers enjoy high-speed internet on smartphones and other devices – baseband chipsets are key components that make this happen. I am concerned that Qualcomm's actions may have pushed out competitors or prevented them from competing. We need to make sure that European consumers continue to benefit from competition and innovation in an area which is at the heart of today's economy." Consumers increasingly access the internet through mobile devices – therefore it is important that effective competition takes place for the supply of one of the key components of such devices: baseband chipsets process communication functions in smartphones, tablets and other mobile broadband devices. They are used both for voice and data transmission. The Commission has sent two Statements of Objections to Qualcomm in separate investigations, outlining the Commission's preliminary view that the company has abused its dominant position in the worldwide markets for 3G (UMTS) and 4G (LTE) baseband chipsets, in breach of EU antitrust rules, in particular Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Exclusivity payment Statement of Objections The first Statement of Objections outlines that since 2011, Qualcomm has paid significant amounts to a major smartphone and tablet manufacturer on condition that it exclusively use Qualcomm baseband chipsets in its smartphones and tablets. The Commission takes the preliminary view that this conduct has reduced the manufacturer's incentives to source chipsets from Qualcomm's competitors and has harmed competition and innovation in the markets for UMTS and LTE baseband chipsets. The contract between Qualcomm and the manufacturer containing the exclusivity clauses is still in force. Predatory pricing Statement of Objections The second Statement of Objections takes the preliminary view that between 2009 and 2011 Qualcomm engaged in 'predatory pricing' by selling certain baseband chipsets at prices below costs, with the intention of hindering competition in the market. This conduct appears to have taken place at a time when Icera posed a growing threat to Qualcomm. In the Commission's preliminary view, Qualcomm reacted to that threat by selling certain quantities of its UMTS baseband chipsets to two of its customers at prices that did not cover Qualcomm's costs, with the aim of forcing Icera out of the market.

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March 28 2024 10:16 am V22.4.20-1
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