The British Competitive Market Bureau (CMA) has begun investigating “Strategic Market Status” (SMS) on Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystem.
The survey constitutes a part of the new digital market, competition, and consumer (DMCC) law, which passed last year and enforced in January. This law includes a new authority to specify a company as a strategic market if the CMA is deemed to be excessively dominant and proposes rescue and intervention to improve competition. I am.
CMA announced the first SMS survey last week and started a market share of Google Search. This is around 90 % mark. The regulator announced that the second one will come in January. I know that Apple and Google use fresh power to establish a strategic market status in each mobile ecosystem that covers areas such as browser and app store. Masu. , And the operating system.
“Suppress innovation”
Today’s announcement is not a big surprise. Returning to August, CMA stated that it has been investigating the mobile app Eco systems of Apple and Google. This started in 2021. Use new power to deal with competitive concerns, mainly two largest players in the mobile service market.
In November, a CMA inquiry group concluded that Apple’s agreement between mobile browser policy and Google has “suppressed innovation.” The survey stated that Apple had forced Apple to use the Apple browser engine webkit. This restricts what these browsers can do compared to Apple’s proprietary Safari browser, and restricts how to effectively differentiate in competitive markets.
As part of a new probe, CMA is the “range of competition between Apple and Google”, including a barrier that can prevent other people from competing, and each mobile eco system. I confirmed that I would consider the system. This includes whether any company uses operating systems, app distribution of apps, or using a dominant position in a browser that supports your own apps and services. Many of them are bundled by default and cannot always be uninstalled.
In addition, CMA stated that any company would investigate whether or not to impose an unfair terms to developers who want to distribute apps through each app store.
Alex Haffner, a competitive partner of the British law firm Fladgate, said that today’s announcement is “completely expected” and given the more widespread changes in British regulatory authorities, this new probe is this new probe. I added it to how it develops.
In fact, it has been revealed this week that CMA has appointed a former Amazon executive dug girl as a provisional chairman. The UK is a part of a wider change because the British is positioned as a protec nation in the United Kingdom by cutting red tape and bureaucracy.
“What is more interesting is how this conforms to the current change of CMA’s tissue, especially a very clear maneuvering facility obtained from the central government, and the regulations are consistently applied to the growth promotion agenda. A very clear castration to be given to be done. “CMA is expected to function in large quantities after the CMA is involved in the details of the DMCC system and the teeth are clogged in the transactions with the related high -tech companies.”
Relief measures
Today’s announcement will start a three -week period in which related stakeholders are invited to submit comments as part of the survey. The results are expected to be announced by October 22, 2025. Google is also considered to have a strategic market situation. This includes a company requesting a company to provide a third party to provide access to major functions to support a better competition. It also includes easy payment of services other than the existing App Store structure of Apple and Google.
In a statement issued on TechCrunch, Apple spokeswoman stated that he would “continue to be constructed with CMA.”
“Apple believes in a prosperous dynamic market that can prosper,” said Spokesman. “We are facing competition in all segments we are developing and in jurisdiction, and our focus is always trusted by users. We are supporting users on a trusted platform. “
Oliver Bethell, an advanced director of competition in Google, has repeated this emotion and pointed out that he will “constructively cooperate with CMA.”
“Android’s openness has helped to enlarge the choice, reduce prices, and to democratize access to smartphones and apps. This is the only example of successful and executable mobile operating systems. “Bethel wrote in today’s blog post. “We are supporting the future path without the risk of the growth of British consumers and companies, and without the risk of British growth.