Amazon, Microsoft and Google are being investigated by the British media regulator, Ofcom, over suspicion of anticompetitive behavior in the cloud computing industry.
The three technology companies have been dominating the cloud computing industry, which enables other companies store their operational data to a third party server, instead of owning a private infrastructure to host them.
Ofcom disclosed its intention on Thursday, stating that it intends to find out if Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud have been creating barriers to competition.
The investigation is expected to take 12 months. And Ofcom will also probe Amazon’s Alexa, Zoom, Apple’s Facetime and Meta’s WhatsApp, all of which are operating in the personal messaging and virtual assistants segment of the digital market.
Ofcom’s Director of Connectivity, Selina Chadha, said,
The way we live, work, play and do business has been transformed by digital services.” Adding that, “But as the number of platforms, devices and networks that serve up content continues to grow, so do the technological and economic issues confronting regulators.”
Chadha explained,
That’s why we’re kick-starting a programme of work to scrutinise these digital markets, identify any competition concerns and make sure they’re working well for people and businesses who rely on them.”
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