european commission Archives

Apple agrees to allow NFC payments from third party companies in EU

01/26/202401/25/2024 Stephanie Beck

The iPhone maker has offered to make near field communication transactions available to rivals. Apple and the European Commission have reached the next step in their long-running disagreement over the use of the iPhone maker’s NFC payments services. The American company has now offered to allow rivals to use the tech, possibly ending this dispute. The European Commission has announced that Apple intends to open its NFC payments technology, used for contactless or tap-and-go transactions, to third-party mobile wallet providers. There have been rumors about this move circulating for about…

Microsoft gets EU approval for Activision Blizzard acquisition

05/17/202305/16/2023 John Montgallo

Activision Blizzard Microsoft Acquisition EU approved

The European Union regulators granted the $69 billion deal its approval this week. Regulators in the European Union have granted Microsoft their approval for its $69 billion acquisition of the Activision Blizzard gaming company. This deal is subject to remedies Microsoft offered in order to assuage concerns over antitrust issues. The European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, has stated that Microsoft offered remedies that have overcome antitrust concerns in the cloud gaming ecosystem. These remedies had to do with permitting users to use any cloud streaming platform to stream…

Will US follow EU in allowing 5G calls from mobile devices on planes?

12/23/202212/21/2022 John Montgallo

The European Commission has voted to permit voice calling from phones on commercial flights. Travelers in Europe will soon be able to use 5G enabled mobile devices to make voice calls on commercial flights without being instructed by a flight attendant to place it into Airplane Mode. The European Commission recently ruled to permit 5G voice calling and high-speed internet connectivity on airplanes in 2023. The decision is being applauded as an important opportunity for businesses operating out of Europe. “The sky is no longer a limit when it comes…

EU member states agree on one mobile charging port starting 2024

06/10/202206/09/2022 Stephanie Beck

European Union members and legislators have agreed to mandate USB Type-C starting late that year. The EU will be mandating a single charging port for mobile phones, cameras and tablets, requiring them to use only USB Type-C as of late 2024. This comes as a substantial blow to Apple and its lightning cable that is specific to its devices. The agreement arrived this week, after much speculation regarding whether the EU would indeed make a decision to choose a single charging port for mobile devices, and when it would begin…

Apple mobile wallet practices hurt competition, says EU regulators

05/10/202205/09/2022 Sam Lambert

Mobile wallet - Back of iPhone - Blue case

The European Commission’s preliminary findings were that the policies harmed competition. European regulators have notified Apple Inc. that its mobile wallet practices were, in their initial view, harmful to competition. The preliminary findings of the European Commission do not “prejudge the outcome” in antitrust investigations. The European Commission (EC) announced in a news release that it had advised Apple “of its preliminary view that it abused its dominant position in markets for mobile wallets on iOS devices.” The focus of the concerns expressed about the payment app had to do…