LONG-TERM EFFECT:While firms have orders for the next two years, Shen Jong-chin said the question is what happens later, and industrial development should be a priority

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 02, 2017
By: Lauly Li  /  Staff reporter

The Fair Trade Commission’s fine on Qualcomm Inc is likely to have substantial impact on Taiwanese brands and semiconductor companies in the long term, Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) told lawmakers yesterday.

“Qualcomm has already placed orders for Taiwan’s semiconductor firms for next year and 2019, so we forecast the impact might emerge two years from now, in the worst-case scenario,” Shen said during a question-and-answer session at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee.

The commission on Oct. 11 fined Qualcomm NT$23.4 billion (US$775.5 million), saying that the world’s largest smartphone chip supplier had unfairly manipulated prices and hurt market competition.

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) on Wednesday last week confirmed that it received a verbal notice from Qualcomm that the US firm was stopping talks on collaboration on 5G technology.    [FULL  STORY]