"UK Regulator Launches Antitrust Probe into Amazon and Microsoft's Cloud Dominance"

The UK's media watchdog, Ofcom, has referred Amazon and Microsoft's dominance of the cloud computing market to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for further investigation. Ofcom is concerned about features that make it difficult for UK businesses to switch cloud providers or use multiple services, particularly with market leaders Amazon and Microsoft. The CMA will examine the market and determine if any action should be taken. Ofcom identified concerns such as egress fees, technical barriers to interoperability, and committed spend discounts that may limit competition. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure account for 60-70% of cloud spend in the UK, with the combined revenues of Amazon, Microsoft, and Google making up 81% of the market.