Google has filed a complaint with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) accusing Microsoft of anti-competitive practices in the cloud computing market.
According to Reuters, Google has stated that Microsoft’s licensing practices discourage customers from using competing services and limit consumer choice. According to Google, customers have no economically viable alternative to Azure (Microsoft Azure).
Google presented 6 recommendations to the CMA; including improving interoperability for customers who use Azure alongside other cloud services. The company also banned Microsoft from providing security updates to customers who move to other services.
According to Ofcom, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure will account for 70 to 80 percent of the UK public cloud infrastructure market by 2022, with Google Cloud accounting for 5 to 10 percent. It has been their closest competitor.
Microsoft has denied Google’s allegations and said it has worked with independent cloud providers to address concerns and promote competition. The company says its licensing practices are fair and non-discriminatory.
The outcome of the CMA’s investigation could have a significant impact on the UK cloud computing market and lead to fundamental changes by setting a precedent for how large technology companies are regulated.