Japan’s antitrust watchdog will soon conclude that four-year installment payment plans for smartphones offered by major phone carriers in the country is legally problematic, sources close to the matter said Friday. The Japan Fair Trade Commission views the payment plan of KDDI Corp and SoftBank Group Corp for
Japan’s antitrust watchdog will soon conclude that four-year installment payment plans for smartphones offered by major phone carriers in the country is legally problematic, sources close to the matter said Friday.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission views the payment plan of KDDI Corp and SoftBank Group Corp for the iPhone and other mobile devices as depriving customers of options to choose other carriers and potentially leading to a violation of the antitrust law, according to the sources.
Working together with the communications ministry, the antitrust watchdog is expected to request that phone carriers take corrective measures.
Under the four-year plans, the carriers sell the iPhone or other devices to customers by splitting the price across 48 months. But the remaining two years of the four-year term can become free of charge if they decide to switch devices and sign a new four-year payment plan with the same company.
