Qualcomm Faces Fresh EU Antitrust Probe
U.S. mobile-phone chip maker Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) is facing a new antitrust investigation by the European Commission, the company said Thursday.
“We understand that matters are at a very preliminary stage and we are currently reviewing the allegations,” Qualcomm said in a statement.
The commission, Europe’s highest antitrust authority, said they had received a complaint against Qualcomm, but that the investigation was more of a “fact-finding exercise at this stage.”
The probe is based on a complaint from U.K. wireless chip maker Icera, which mainly manufactures chip sets for mobile-broadband devices, such as dongles. “We can confirm that Icera has lodged a complaint with the European Commission, alleging that Qualcomm has engaged in anticompetitive activity,” Qualcomm said.