Qualcomm getting sued, again. Anti-competitive behaviour in UK 4G Market.

[Distinctly Average]

Fot those that don’t know, Which? Is a UK consumer association mainly funded by their magazine. It is a registered charity.

 

Summary

UK 4G smartphone owners may be due £480m pay-out

About 29 million people in the UK may be entitled to compensation of up to £30 each if a legal claim from watchdog Which? is successful.

It is suing chipmaker Qualcomm, claiming it breached UK competition law by taking advantage of its dominance in the patent licensing and chip markets.

Which? alleges that it charged inflated fees to manufacturers, which were then passed on to consumers in the form of higher smartphone prices.

Qualcomm has not yet responded.

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Quotes

Quote

 Which? is seeking damages for all affected Apple and Samsung smartphones purchased since 1 October 2015. 

It estimates individuals could be entitled to up to £30 compensation each, depending on the type of smartphone they bought.

Anabel Hoult, chief executive of Which? said: "We believe Qualcomm's practices are anti-competitive and have so far taken around £480m from consumers' pockets - this needs to stop.

"We are sending a clear warning that if companies like Qualcomm indulge in manipulative practices which harm consumers, Which? is prepared to take action."

It has filed its legal claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which will decide if it can go ahead.

 

My thoughts

Not surprised really. Qualcomm have already been sued by the EU and fined over the same with 3G chipsets and also over a deal with Apple. With the UK now separate from the EU, if successful here there will probably be a separate case in the EU. Does seem strange that Which?, not the UK government or government watchdog, are taking up the claim. 

 

Sources

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56182272

[AlTech]

The one time it’s extra bad to own an Intel modem iPhone.

 

I have owned Qualcomm modem powered devices during the time period however Samsung doesn’t sell Qualcomm modem powered devices on most units in the U.K, if it has an exynos variant then it uses the exynos chip.

 

So I guess you’d need to own of the few Samsung models using Qualcomm in the U.K.

[JLO64]

Just out of curiosity, who does Qualcomm compete against in the wireless chipset market? I’ve heard plenty about how they have a near monopoly in that market but other than Intel (I think?) I’m not aware of any other major players.

[Distinctly Average]

5 hours ago, JLO64 said:

Just out of curiosity, who does Qualcomm compete against in the wireless chipset market? I’ve heard plenty about how they have a near monopoly in that market but other than Intel (I think?) I’m not aware of any other major players.

Seems it affects mainly Apple and Samsung. Here is a claims website here - https://smartphoneclaim.co.uk/ and it details the models affected and the reasons why.