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Austria starts competition probe after mobile price rises

2014-08-29 16:43:00| Telecompaper Headlines

(Telecompaper) Austrian competition regulator BWB announced plans to investigate the developments in mobile prices since the market was reduced to three operators by 3 Austria's takeover of Orange's operations. The telecom regulator RTR signaled already earlier this year that prices were increasing. The BWB said it would conduct a thorough review of the "highly concentrated" market in order to ensure consumers are not disadvantaged by any anti-competitive behaviour, no commercial practices are distorting or restricting the market, and fair and transparent competition is ensured. As the issue goes beyond just competition law, the BWB said it was also working with the federal cartel prosecutor, consumer association, labour chamber and RTR on the investigation. The review has started already by requesting further information from the mobile operators. T-Mobile Austria confirmed it had received such a request and was cooperating. The operator said in a statement that its pricing was based entirely on its own commercial considerations and costs. It reiterated that the high prices in the recent spectrum auction in Austria led to a substantial increase in costs, as had the higher energy prices in Austria and the continued investment in the network to meet the strong increase in demand for data services. T-Mobile said service revenues had been falling since 2006, and the tough competition was only set to intensify with the expected entry of new MVNOs in the coming months.

Tags: price mobile austria competition

Google faces EU competition probe on Android sales - report

2013-06-14 09:11:00| Telecompaper Headlines

(Telecompaper) Google is facing an investigation in the EU into allegations that it supported the Android smartphone platform and its mobile services through cut-price licensing and exclusivity deals. According to documents seen by the Financial Times, the European Commission has focused on allegedly anti-competitive deals struck between the US technology company and smartphone providers. The informal probe, which is at a preliminary stage, follows recent complaints by companies including Microsoft and Nokia. These allegations include the licensing of Android software "below cost", according to the documents, and "potential requests by Google to cancel and/or delay the launch of smartphone devices" based on competing operating systems or shipped with rival mobile services. The commission will also consider whether Google imposed exclusivity agreements with mobile device makers regarding the pre-installation and placement of Google's services typically supplied with Android devices, such as YouTube. In response, Google said: "Android is an open platform that fosters competition. Handset makers, carriers and consumers can decide how to use Android, including which applications they want to use." The commission has called for information in a 23-page questionnaire sent to device makers and mobile operators, although the request does not mean that the commission will necessarily embark on a formal investigation of Google's sales practices. The 82 questions ask for a wide range of information from European groups relating to mobile operating systems and preinstalled services since January 2009.While the commission's informal investigation of Android has been open for more than a year, the probe took on sharper focus when 14 companies including Microsoft, Oracle and Nokia lodged a formal complaint in April about Google allegedly abusing its dominance.

Tags: report sales google competition

As Competition Intensifies, Net Lease Investors Probe Secondary Markets for Deals

2013-05-30 17:52:00| National Real Estate Investor

With demand in the net lease market tightly constricted, investors looking for opportunities are being forced to take a fresh look at secondary and tertiary markets just to find any possibilites to invest. read more

Tags: net deals secondary competition