Apple has been charged over the way it grants access to NFC chip technology and allows users to engage with payments in the space.
The European Commission has taken the steps off the back of an investigation into the firm and the process it takes in allowing the chip service to embrace a wider variety of payment provisions.
EC EVP Margrethe Vestager, who leads the body’s charge of competition policy, stated on the sanctions: “we preliminarily found that Apple may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution Apple Pay. If confirmed, such a conduct would be illegal under our competition rules.”
The charges centre around the NFC tap and go tech, which has been limited to iOS mobile devices and has been widely criticised by some of the sector’s key players as hindering a competitive market.
Following the charges, Apple has affirmed it will continue to work closely with the body as it seeks to underline the fairness of the market.
