In recent years, Apple has faced increasing scrutiny from regulators in Europe, and is now subject to a new investigation by the Swiss Competition Commission, known as SCC.
This investigation focuses on the issue of providing access to the NFC chip in iPhones. Last year, Apple began allowing third parties to access the NFC chip, following its initial opening of this feature within the European Union.
However, the company requires developers who want to use NFC to sign a special commercial agreement and pay a fee determined by Apple, which is what the Swiss Competition Authority is currently putting under the microscope.
According to its statements, the authority aims to verify whether the terms and conditions imposed by Apple to grant this access may raise concerns related to competition laws within Switzerland.
It also seeks to clarify whether mobile payment app providers can actually compete with Apple Pay in in-store contactless payments using iOS devices.
The authority also points out that Apple’s terms for making NFC available to third parties differ from those applied within the European Economic Area (EEA), which adds an additional dimension to the investigation. However, the Commission confirms that this step is still within the framework of the preliminary investigation, without specifying a clear timetable for its completion.
