European antitrust regulators are reportedly set to charge technology giant Apple with anti-competitive practices regarding the NFC chip inside iPhones and Apple Pay. It is said that the charges are being finalized and be sent to Apple sometime next year.
For those who are unaware, last year, the European Commission had opened an investigation into Apple Pay and the iPhone’s NFC chip last year. It was focusing on whether Apple unfairly locked out competition for contactless payment services by restricting the use of the NFC chip inside iPhones.
While details about the report remain unclear, it says that Apple is set to be charged with “anti-competitive practices related to its NFC chip technology.” Apple could be forced to “open up its mobile payment system to rivals.”
Apple has been slowly opening access to the NFC in the iPhone, but compared to its integration with Apple Pay, third-party services are still significantly hindered.
The development comes at a time when Apple has been found in breach of competition law related to its music streaming service in Europe earlier this year. Following complaints from Spotify, the EU competition commission said that Apple unfairly favors Apple Music over rival streaming services due to the fees imposed on App Store applications.
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