Rumor: Apple offers to open NFC for use of other payment apps in EU

Apple has reportedly offered to the European Commission to open up NFC for use by payment services other than Apple Pay. In this way, the company wants to avoid a fine. The Commission is said to have considered the offer.

The European Commission will probably ask competitors and customers whether the proposal goes far enough, reports Reuters. According to the proposal, Apple would make the NFC chip in iPhones and iPads available for other payment services. Now only Apple’s own payment system can use the chip. On competing Android phones, the NFC chip can be used for payment services other than those of Google.

The move should promote competition in mobile payment services. The step might not go far enough, because Apple has been offering its Pay service since 2014. As a result, it has had time to build a strong position in the mobile payments market. It has done just that.

In addition to the investigation into payment services, the European Commission is also investigating whether Apple favors its own music streaming service over competitors. Fines in such cases can amount to 10 percent of a company’s annual turnover. Since Apple’s annual revenue was $383 billion, that amounts to a maximum of $38.3 billion.