Wireless chipset maker Qualcomm today updated the status of an ongoing investigation into its controversial chip business in Europe and a new probe in Taiwan.
Qualcomm received copies of two Statements of Objections (SO) from the European Commission relating to separate matters involving its chipset business.
One issue is related to the supply of Qualcomm’s chipsets to a single customer under an existing agreement, while the second one concerns Qualcomm’s sales to two customers from 2009 through 2011 of three chipsets incorporated into dongles – small USB devices that at the time were used to provide cellular connectivity for laptops.
The Taiwan Fair Trade Commission (TFTC) has also requested information from Qualcomm, and has initiated an investigation into whether the company’s patent licensing arrangements violate the Taiwan Fair Trade Act.
“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,” said Don Rosenberg, general counsel and executive vice president of Qualcomm.
The US-based Qualcomm has earlier settled a similar investigation in China and paid close to $1 billion towards settling the issue.
