英国CMA启动咨询，拟要求苹果开放iPhone NFC权限并降低收费

The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority officially opened its consultation process on Tuesday to attempt and open up Apple's ( AAPL ) digital wallet technology to more competition. The process is related to making the iPhone maker open up its digital wallet technology to rival payment providers. It sets out proposals for a conduct requirement on Apple to open access to near-field-communication, or NFC, on iOS devices. The consultation process runs through November 17. "For businesses, and particularly the UK's fintech sector, NFC access matters because payments are a gateway to wider customer relationships and new digital services," according to the CMA. "Apple controls access to the software and hardware needed to enable NFC on its iPhones through its mobile platform and has historically restricted third parties from accessing NFC on its smartphones, reserving this access to Apple Pay and Apple Wallet," the CMA added. "The evidence we have gathered indicates that Apple's current fees are too high to support commercially viable entry and expansion for many developers," it continued. The CMA proposes that Apple "unlock immediate competition in mobile payments, create the conditions for future contactless innovation, and ensure that Apple's legitimate interests in the security, privacy, integrity and functionality of its platform are protected." The regulatory action, if successful, could be a coup for fintechs such as PayPal ( PYPL ), Revolut ( REVOLUT ), and Monzo, as well as traditional banks. Apple is expected to challenge the decision. Seeking Alpha reached out to Apple for comment on the proposed regulation.