Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, ETR:APC) and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)'s Google have come under investigation by the UK’s competition watchdog over their mobile platforms.
Each firm’s mobile operating systems, app stores and browsers would be probed to see if they required tailor-made regulation, the Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday.
Virtually every smartphone sold in the UK was pre-installed with Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android systems, the regulator pointed out, while their browsers and app stores had exclusive positions.
“This means Apple and Google are also able to exert considerable influence over much of the content, services and technological development provided on a mobile device,” it said.
The investigations would determine whether Apple or Google should be given “strategic market status,” allowing the CMA to impose “conduct requirements” or “pro-competition interventions.”
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell noted that “more competitive mobile ecosystems could foster new innovations and new opportunities.”
“Better competition could also boost growth here in the UK, with businesses able to offer new and innovative types of products and services on Apple’s and Google’s platforms,” Cardell said.