Posts Tagged ‘European Union’
Author: geoff Published: March 25th, 2013
It seems European network operators have complained to the European Union about apple’s unfair iPhone contracts.
The report comes from the New York Times. It reports, “European Union regulators are examining the contracts Apple strikes with cellphone carriers that sell its iPhone for possible antitrust violations after several carriers complained that the deals throttled competition.
“Although they have not filed formal complaints, a group of European wireless carriers recently submitted information about their contracts with Apple to the European Commission, according to a person briefed on the communications with the carriers who asked not to be identified.
“This person said the accusations focused on Apple’s contracts with French carriers, though other countries may also be involved.”
The European Commission’s spokesperson, Antoine Colombani, said in a statement, “We have been contacted by industry participants and we are monitoring the situation, but no antitrust case has been opened.”
Natalie Kerris, an Apple spokesperson, said, “Our contracts fully comply with local laws wherever we do business, including the E.U.”
If these anonymous European network operators’ claims are true, it looks like Apple is facing an antitrust case.
Do you think Apple is enforcing unfair iPhone contracts on European network operators? Let us know what you think through a comment on our Facebook page.
Tags: apple, carrier, contract, European Commission, European Union, iphone, Network Operator
Category Network News |
Author: sarah Published: December 13th, 2011
Regulators of the European Union have temporarily put Google’s acquisition of Motorola on hold. The review was put on hold in the 6th of December. They are requesting for more information on the deal.
European Commission spokesperson, Amelia Torres, said that once “certain documents that are essential to its evaluation of the transaction” are shown, the review can continue.
Al Verney, Google’s spokesperson said that this is “routine….. We’re confident the commission will conclude that this acquisition is good for competition and we’ll be working closely and cooperatively with them as they continue their review.”
Although routine, the result is the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google to be pushed back until 2012 at least.
When news broke out that Google was purchasing Motorola for $12.5 billion, Android manufacturers were worried Motorola would be favored by Google over other manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC. Since Motorola would become a hardware arm of Google, some believed that Google would roll out updates to devices such as the Motorola Razr before devices like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation XE.
Google’s Larry Page said, “Our acquisition of Motorola will increase competition by strengthening Google’s patent portfolio, which will enable us to better protect Android from anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple and other companies.”
Do you think Google’s acquisition of Motorola has been temporarily put on hold, or do you think Google will never get hold of Motorola’s patents? Give us your thoughts.
Tags: Android, EU, European Union, Google, Motorola, Motorola Mobility
Category Phone News |
Author: geoff Published: September 10th, 2011
The network operator Three filed a complaint with the European Union against the NFC (Near Field Communication) payment consortium, which include Everything Everywhere, O2, and Vodafone.
The consortium is looking to launch a mobile payment service that will allow their customers to wave their NFC-enabled phones to pay for goods and services. The project has not yet been given the go signal by regulators. However, Three has taken legal action with the EU antitrust authority, seeking to put a stop to the project.
The odd man out’s legal counsel, Stephen Lerner, says the consortium is a “cosy collaboration”, which is why the European Union “should not allow this type of collaboration to go forward under any circumstances.”
Lerner adds,”Excluding the maverick raises serious competition concerns. It has serious implications for both consumers and wider business as the internet continues to move mobile.”
It looks like Near Field Communication is soon to take off. Google has started mobile payments with its NFC chip-bearing Nexus S in the US, and Apple is said to include NFC chips on its 5th generation iPhone. It looks like UK network operators are looking to cash in on this chip, and Three refuses to be left behind.
Do you think NFC is the next big thing in mobile, or do you still think it needs to be further developed? Let us know what you think.
Tags: EU, European Union, Everything Everywhere, NFC consortium, o2, Three, vodafone
Category Network News |
