Apple Inc. and Google’s Android were earmarked by the UK’s antitrust watchdog for a raft of new rules targeting their power in mobile ecosystems, a market almost completely dominated by the US giants.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday it’s proposing to give the pair so-called Strategic Market Status — paving the way for regulation aimed at curbing potential market bottlenecks including their mobile operating systems, app stores and mobile web browsers.
“Apple and Google’s mobile platforms are both critical to the UK economy – playing an important role in all our lives, from banking and shopping to entertainment and education,” said Sarah Cardell, chief executive officer of the CMA. “But our investigation so far has identified opportunities for more innovation and choice.”
The plan is the latest in a series of potential snags for Silicon Valley firms stemming from the UK’s antitrust authority. Amazon Inc. and Microsoft Corp. were asked to make changes to their businesses to loosen their grip over the cloud services market last week while the investigation into Google’s online search and advertising business deepened a month ago.
Under the watchdog’s digital market rules that kicked in this year, the CMA can eventually impose conduct requirements on firms that include making it easier for users to download apps and pay for content outside of Apple and Google’s own platforms. The watchdog can also hand out hefty fines and impose strict remedies to boost competition.
The CMA will hold consultations before making a decision on designation, expected by Oct. 22.
With assistance from Mark Bergen.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
