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The
accusations by the European Commission set out in two charge
sheets known as statements of objections followed a formal
investigation begun in July.
The EU competition enforcer said Qualcomm may have illegally
paid a major customer for exclusively using its chipsets and it
also sold chipsets below cost with the aim of forcing a
competitor out of the market in a practice known as predatory
pricing.
"I am concerned that Qualcomm's actions may have pushed out
competitors or prevented them from competing," European
Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
Qualcomm said it has been given several months to respond to the
charges.
"We look forward to demonstrating that competition in the sale
of wireless chips has been and remains strong and dynamic, and
that Qualcomm’s sales practices have always complied with
European competition law," Qualcomm general counsel Don
Rosenberg said in a statement.
The predatory pricing case against the company followed a
complaint from British phone software maker Icera, which later
was acquired by Nvidia Corp in a bid to enter the market for
smartphone chips and compete with Qualcomm.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)
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