(Telecompaper) The European Union is looking into potential competition violations in the distribution of Apple's iPhones and iPads, after receiving informal complaints from telecoms operators, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The complaints involve handset subsidies and marketing that Apple requires from operators that carry its smartphones and tablets, and also includes subsidies that carriers pay to Apple, one of the three sources told Reuters. A Commission spokesman said that EU competition regulators had been informed about concerns over Apple and its distribution practices, but there had been no formal complaint. "Generally, we are actively monitoring developments in this market," Antoine Colombani told a regular Commission briefing. "We will, of course, intervene if there are indications of anticompetitive behavior to the detriment of consumers." Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that several telecoms companies had aired their grievances to the Commission. Their concerns focused on the commercial terms in contracts with Apple, said one of the sources.