Russian antitrust suspects Apple of iPhone pricing coordination

MOSCOW, Jul 29 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service is preparing to initiate a case against mobile phone retailers on suspicion of price-fixing arrangement and suspects Apple to be the coordinator behind the deal, Deputy Director Andrei Tsarikovsky told reporters Friday.

“The case is now at the initiation stage. But it will be launched very soon. We had a similar case several years ago. But, unfortunately, we see the dear Apple company playing the coordinator’s role behind this in the first place,” he said.

“I can preliminarily say that before we had agreements between Russian parties in the limelight, but now Apple’s coordination role steps forward,” he said.

He added that the service thinks it is wrong that different companies set same prices for iPhones.

“Wherever you go you’ll see identical prices for iPhone S if you want to buy one. We think it is absolutely wrong.”

Media reported in February that the service checked 16 large retailers investigating a possible price-fixing deal for iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.

In 2012, the service found mobile operators MTS and VimpelCom guilty of a price-fixing agreement for sales of iPhone smartphones and imposed 16 million ruble and 18 million ruble fines on the companies, respectively.

(66.1125 rubles – U.S. $1)

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