Few people would doubt just how fundamental smartphones are to our lives. They are increasingly the main way we interact with friends and family, 访问消息, 玩游戏, buy products and services online – and now pay for them in shops. Love it or loathe it, our phones have become a key gateway for people and UK businesses alike. 此外, for some of the poorest households in the country they are the only way to get online and a vital lifeline to essential public resources and services. This makes the fact that the systems upon which these devices rely are almost entirely controlled by just 2 companies – Apple and Google – concerning. Apple and Google are the gatekeepers to everything coming through our phones, creating a digital stranglehold that is only getting stronger over time.
The problems uncovered in our Mobile Ecosystems Market Study
The powerful position Apple and Google have in these markets, 以及它们对竞争的影响, 的主题 我们对移动生态系统进行了长达一年的研究 covering operating systems, browsers and apps on our mobile devices. We concluded that it is extremely difficult for rivals such as other browsers or alternative app stores to compete. Tens of thousands of small businesses reliant on these ecosystems, 比如应用程序和网页开发人员, are entirely at the whim of the rules and processes set by these 2 companies. 苹果和谷歌不仅仅是它们的管理者, but in many cases also their direct competitors (with their own news, 音乐, 支付和更多的服务).
We’ve heard directly from many businesses - small and large - who are fed up and frustrated. Concerns include instances where apps have been removed from their app stores with no notice or explanation, leading to loss of services for their customers and vital income; pre-installing apps, or setting defaults that favor them over others; and requiring some apps to use their payments systems but then charging high commissions. We have also heard concerns that they can stifle innovations by restricting developments that pose a risk to their own business models – Apple’s restrictions over new cloud gaming services is just one example. 此外, many of the companies we spoke to were reluctant to be identified publicly, due to concerns of being exposed to retributive action from 2 of the most powerful companies in the world. 他们不能走开，因为没有别的选择. 这影响了英国更广泛的数字经济, including tech start-ups struggling to get a foothold; we risk missing out on growth and new opportunities across the UK.
It’s not all bad news: Apple and Google have brought many benefits to consumers and businesses through their trusted platforms – not only in developing and investing in these digital markets but also the key role they play in protecting our privacy, 网络安全. There’s no doubt about the importance of these issues. But we looked carefully into this - getting advice from technology and security specialists - and found there are many ways to allow for more competition without compromising safety and security. Many claims made by Apple in particular don’t seem to stack up.
什么下一个?
We don’t intervene in markets unless we have to – and even then we would rather find ways to open up markets than imposing rules and regulations. 但在这种情况下，除非现在采取措施, 我们认为两家公司都有可能维持, 甚至加强, 他们的控制, 这可能对许多其他企业不利. This is why, following the conclusion on our market study, we have announced that we are:
- consulting on whether to launch a market investigation into mobile browsers and cloud gaming – both of which involve restrictions holding back potentially disruptive innovation; and
- taking further enforcement action including opening a new investigation into Google’s app store payment practices, 以及我们对苹果的类似调查, and we will be launching further digital cases beyond the study.
These cases add to our growing portfolio of work aimed at tackling problems in digital markets while we await new tailored powers proposed by the government to oversee powerful tech firms like these.
