China Claims to Possess "Substantial" Price Fixing Evidence Against Qualcomm

Qualcomm may have some explaining to do. The cellphone chip maker said in November it had been under investigation by China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) for potential antitrust violations, though the company didn't go into any detail. Now it's being reported that Xu Kunlin, head of NDRC's anti-price fixing bureau, said the agency has "substantial evidence" of price fixing shenanigans on the part of Qualcomm.

The claim was first reported in the official English-language China Daily and picked up Reuters. Unfortunately, no other details on the matter have been shared at this time, though we suspect it won't be long before more information is known.

Qualcomm
Qualcomm's research facility in China. Image Source: Qualcomm

China's NDRC has been undergoing "unprecedented expansion" as it looks to recruit at least 170 new employees for the antitrust law enforcement team, China Daily reports. Around 20 of the new additions will serve at the Beijing department of the NDRC, while the rest will join local units to investigate monopolistic behavior.

Qualcomm is a major player in the mobile chip market. It's Snapdragon chips power a number of smartphones running the gamut from entry-level devices to high-end handsets.