Tech global giants: Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are currently being investigated by British media regulator, Ofcom, over suspicions of anticompetitive behavior in the cloud computing industry.
The three tech companies have been dominating the cloud computing industry, which helps other companies store their operational data on a third-party server, instead of owning a private infrastructure to host the data.
Ofcom revealed its intention on Thursday, announcing that it intends to find out if Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud have been building barriers to their competition.
This investigation is expected to take at least a year. Ofcom will additionally be probing Amazon’s Alexa, Zoom, Apple’s Facetime, and Meta’s WhatsApp, all of which are currently operating in the personal messaging and virtual assistants segment of the digital space.
Ofcom’s Director of Connectivity, Selina Chadha, made a statement saying: “The way we live, work, play and do business has been transformed by digital services. But as the number of platforms, devices, and networks that serve up content continues to increase, so do the technological and economic issues confronting regulators.”
Chadha explained, “That’s why we’re beginning a program of work to scrutinize these digital markets, identify any competition concerns and ensure they’re working well for people and businesses who rely on them.”
