The UK’s OFCOM has referred AWS and Microsoft to the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) for anticompetitive behavior.
The report (pdf) is on point. The major concerns listed are:
- egress fees
- technical incompatibility
- committed spend discounts
It’s an interesting read. The cloud (e.g., someone else’s server) is critical for many companies and is becoming increasingly important. It’s a very profitable business for the hyperscalers and deserves some attention by antitrust authorities. We shall see what comes of it, but a few changes in business practices would go a long way to making sure the IaaS market stays competitive.