China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) confirmed on Wednesday it had launched anti-monopoly investigations into US technology firms Qualcomm and InterDigital.

Xu Kunlin, director general of the NDRC’s price supervision and anti-monopoly bureau, said the investigations began in June last year after the regulator received complaints that the U.S. companies charged discriminatory high prices in China.

Qualcomm “abuses its dominant position in the market,” Xu said at a press conference in Beijing.

The NDRC’s investigations come as the regulator zooms in on information technology providers, especially companies that licence patent technology for mobile devices and networks.

Industry experts say the NDRC, the government’s main economic planning body, is trying to lower domestic costs as China rolls out its faster 4G mobile networks this year.

Earlier this month, China’s Communications Industry Association said it had filed a complaint against San Diego-based Qualcomm for overcharging for use of its patents.

Follow us on Twitter: @ALB_Magazine.

.