EU imposes € 1 billion fine on Qualcomm

brussels (anp) - The European Commission imposes a fine of 997 million euros on American chip manufacturer Qualcomm because of a deal with Apple.

By paying exclusive chips for modems in iPhones and iPads to Apple, Qualcomm has misused its dominant market position, according to the regulator in Brussels.

Qualcomm illegally excluded rivals from the market for certain chips for more than five years, according to EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (Competition).

The company paid billions to Apple, one of its major customers, so that the tech company would not buy chips from other companies.

These payments were not discounts, but were made on the condition that Apple would only use Qualcomm chips in all its iPhones and iPads, according to Vestager.

Brussels just gave the green light last week for the takeover by Qualcomm of the Dutch industry partner NXP Semiconductors.