MEXICO CITY, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Apple (AAPL.O) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google are facing a probe over anti-competitive practices in Mexico after the country’s former telecommunications chief filed a complaint, he said in a statement on Twitter on Friday.
The complaint was brought to Mexico’s telecommunications regulator IFT yesterday by Mony de Swaan Addati, who once headed the former telecommunications federation that was later replaced by IFT.
His complaint accuses Apple and Google of “completely inhibit(ing) competition” by “taking advantage of their monopoly in app stores to tie use of their own payment processing systems for in-app purchases.”
In his online statement, de Swaan Addati said Google’s Play store and Apple’s store charge 15%-20% commission, forcing price inflation.
Google declined to comment. Apple and the IFT were not immediately available for comment.
A wave of lawsuits and complaints challenging the pair’s app store rules in various countries over recent years has led Google to lower fees and Apple to loosen rules, but some app developers and other critics say more changes are needed.
De Swaan Addati added that Mexico’s competition regulator had declined his request to open an investigation into the companies, prompting him to take his case to the IFT.
“I have full confidence that (the IFT) will investigate and exercise its powers – in line with international best practices – so that these companies stop abusing their market power to the detriment of developers and consumers,” he said.
According to data firm Statista, over 30 million smartphones were forecast to be sold in Mexico last year.
Google’s Android has the largest market share in Mexico with 77% penetration, according to the latest data from Statcounter.
Apple is facing scrutiny elsewhere in the region, with Brazilian regulators having banned the sale of iPhones without a charger earlier this week.
Subscribe here to receive our newsletters, access exclusive content, read our news without ads, and much more!
Trending news of PVDN
- The Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) moved its nerve center to Puerto Vallarta The Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) moved its nerve center to Puerto Vallarta, where it currently coordinates its main operations. In addition, it has managed to expand to practically the entire national territory, through the franchise model, just as “Los Zetas” did, first-level authorities from the federal security cabinet revealed. From this tourist destination, this…
- Car crash in Puerto Vallarta leads to the discovery of a bagged body in the trunk What began as a car crash in Puerto Vallarta ended with the discovery of a bagged body that was in one of the vehicles involved in the accident. The events occurred on State Road 544 which leads to Puerto Vallarta from Mascota and San Sebastián del Oeste, where a red pickup truck and a dark-colored…
- Day of the Dead 2022 in Puerto Vallarta: The complete guide to Día de Muertos Día de Muertos is a Mexican holiday, which translates to “Day of the Dead,” that is celebrated in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and around the country, to remember those who have died. While Día de Muertos is often confused with Halloween, the day is actually different from the U.S. holiday as Halloween creates fear of death…
- There have been 1,719 aftershocks since the September 19 earthquake that shook Puerto Vallarta On September 19, a magnitude 7.7 tremor was recorded in Jalisco at 1:05 p.m. with an epicenter in Coalcomán, Michoacán. From that day and until 6:00 p.m. on September 23, 1,719 aftershocks have occurred, the one that occurred on Thursday was the strongest with a magnitude of 6.9, and woke up the people of Puerto…
- Tropical storm ‘Newton’ forms in Manzanillo, Colima; heavy rains in Jalisco expected On Wednesday, September 21, Tropical Depression Fifteen-E became Tropical Storm Newton, over the Pacific Ocean and will cause rains in some states of Mexico, reported the National Meteorological Service (SMN) of the National Water Commission. Newton was located approximately 280 kilometers southwest of Manzanillo, Colima, and 335 km south of Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, at 8:30…
