Chinese government believes Qualcomm has a monopoly

After investigating the abuse of power by Qualcomm, the government of China has come to the conclusion that the American chipmaker has a monopoly. The investigation focused on the amounts Qualcomm would charge for certain technologies.

This is probably not about its mobile processors, but about the patents on mobile technologies, according to an article by the government-run newspaper China Daily. The Chinese government has not yet announced a penalty, but the fine could run into hundreds of millions of euros.

China’s “Development and Reform Commission” launched the investigation in November over allegations that Qualcomm was charging too much for licenses. The committee has yet to officially announce the result, but has already confirmed to the newspaper that in their view Qualcomm does indeed have a monopoly. Qualcomm declined to comment yet.

The American processor maker has a leading position in the market for socs in smartphones. Qualcomm has competition from Samsung and Apple, among others, and manufacturers such as the Taiwanese MediaTek and the Chinese Rockchip.