Cloud services market investigation

The CMA is investigating the supply of public cloud infrastructure services in the UK.

• From: Competition and Markets Authority
• Published: 5 October 2023
• Last updated: 4 December 2024 — See all updates

• Case type: Markets
• Case state: Open
• Market sector: Electronics
• Opened: 5 October 2023

Statutory timetable

Date	Action
4 August 2025	Statutory deadline
5 October 2023	Date of reference

Phase 2

Administrative timetable

• Administrative timetable (PDF, 101KB) (updated 4.12.24)

Extension of market investigation

19 September 2024: The CMA decided to extend the statutory deadline for the cloud services market investigation by 4 months.

• Extension notice (PDF, 123KB) (19.9.24)

Hearing summaries

• Summary of hearing with Amazon Web Services (AWS) (PDF, 139KB) (16.9.24)
• Summary of hearing with Microsoft (PDF, 163KB) (16.9.24)
• Summary of hearing with Google (PDF, 179KB) (16.9.24)

Responses to working papers and updated issues statement

• AWS (PDF, 641KB) (1.7.24)
• AWS (CRA economic response) (PDF, 738KB) (16.9.24)
• AWS (CSA response) (PDF, 352KB) (16.9.24)
• AWS (egress fees response) (PDF, 257KB) (16.9.24)
• AWS (licensing response) (PDF, 426KB) (16.9.24)
• AWS (technical barriers response) (PDF, 643KB) (16.9.24)
• Banking Provider 1 CMA Response (PDF, 122KB) (24.7.24)
• BT Group Response to the CMA (PDF, 169KB) (24.7.24)
• CCIA (PDF, 244KB) (1.7.24)
• CCIA response - CMA Cloud MI - Technical Barriers (PDF, 253KB) (24.7.24)
• CCIA response - Cloud MI - Licensing Practices (PDF, 258KB) (24.7.24)
• Dr George R Barker response (PDF, 684KB) (1.7.24)
• Dr George R Barker response (PDF, 560KB) (24.7.24)
• Ennis S and Evans B Response (PDF, 251KB) (24.7.24)
• Former UK Cloud employees response (PDF, 529KB) (24.7.24)
• Google Cloud (committed spend agreements) (PDF, 266KB) (1.7.24)
• Google Cloud (competitive landscape) (PDF, 246KB) (1.7.24)
• Google Cloud (egress fees) (PDF, 339KB) (1.7.24)
• Google Cloud’s public response to the CMA’s Licensing Practices working paper (PDF, 121KB) (24.7.24)
• Google Cloud (potential remedies) (PDF, 195KB) (24.7.24)
• Google Cloud (technical barriers) (PDF, 303KB) (24.7.24)
• Google Cloud (follow-up response) (PDF, 787KB) (16.9.24)
• IBM (committed spend agreements) (PDF, 232KB) (1.7.24)
• IBM (egress fees) (PDF, 257KB) (1.7.24)
• IBM (technical barriers) (PDF, 284KB) (24.7.24)
• Microsoft (identity and access management) (PDF, 231KB) (16.9.24)
• Microsoft (technical barriers) (PDF, 182KB) (16.9.24)
• Microsoft response to the competitive landscape, committed spend agreements and egress fees working papers (PDF, 490KB) (24.7.24)
• Microsoft response to the licensing working paper (PDF, 668KB) (24.7.24)
• Microsoft response to the technical barriers working paper (PDF, 555KB) (24.7.24)
• OkTik Technology (PDF, 125KB) (1.7.24)
• Oracle, consolidated commentary to the CMA’s Updated Issues Statement, its working papers, and the Market investigation qualitative customer research final report (PDF, 191KB) (24.7.24)
• R. Parisi, The Cloud Services Markets’ Competitive Landscape: A contribution to the CMA (PDF, 239KB) (1.7.24)
• Social Market Foundation, clearing the air confronting the cost to cloud adopters of restrictive software licensing practices (PDF, 1,489KB) (24.7.24)
• Startup Coalition response to the CMA’s Working Papers - Public cloud infrastructure services market investigation (PDF, 62KB) (24.7.24)
• Vodafone, Cloud interim papers (PDF, 103KB) (24.7.24)
• Wasabi response (PDF, 132KB) (5.8.24)

Updated issues statement

• Updated issues statement (PDF, 244KB) (6.6.24)

Working papers

• Technical barriers (PDF, 976KB) (6.6.24)
• Licensing practices (PDF, 1077KB) (6.6.24)
• Potential remedies (PDF, 327KB) (6.6.24)
• Competitive landscape (PDF, 1.37 MB) (23.5.24)
• Egress fees (PDF, 813KB) (23.5.24)
• Committed spend agreements (PDF, 545KB) (23.5.24)

Primary research

23 May 2024: Market research report published

• Market investigation qualitative customer research final report (PDF, 1,274KB) (23.5.24)

Progress update

23 May 2024: We have published a short update on the progress of the cloud services market investigation.

• Cloud services market investigation progress update (PDF, 199KB) (23.5.24)

Responses to issues statement

• ACT The App Association (PDF, 303KB) (5.12.23)
• AWS (PDF, 336KB) (5.12.23)
• Banking Provider 1 (PDF, 125KB) (5.12.23)
• CCIA (PDF, 280KB) (5.12.23)
• CFSL (PDF, 979KB) (5.12.23)
• CISPE (PDF, 293KB) (5.12.23)
• Cloud Provider 1 (PDF, 3,323KB) (5.12.23)
• Company A (PDF, 160KB) (5.12.23)
• Former UKCloud employees (PDF, 165KB) (5.12.23)
• Google Cloud (PDF, 394KB) (5.12.23)
• IBM (PDF, 194KB) (20.12.23)
• Individual response 1 (PDF, 79KB) (5.12.23)
• Microsoft (PDF, 311KB) (5.12.23)
• Oracle (PDF, 201KB) (5.12.23)
• OVH Cloud (PDF, 532KB) (24.7.24)
• Prolinx Ltd (PDF, 163KB) (15.12.23)
• Startup Coalition (PDF, 65KB) (5.12.23)
• UKCTA (PDF, 170KB) (5.12.23)
• Vodafone (PDF, 96KB) (5.12.23)

Issues statement

17 October 2023: The issues statement outlines initial theories on what might be affecting competition and potential remedies. It does not set out our findings or conclusions. Parties are invited to provide submissions commenting on the issues and possible remedies. The deadline for submissions on the issues statement is Thursday 9 November 2023.

• Issues statement (PDF, 237KB) (17.10.23)
• Press release: CMA outlines scope of market investigation into cloud services (17.10.23)

Inquiry group appointed

5 October 2023: The CMA has appointed an inquiry group from its panel of members Kip Meek (inquiry Chair), Robin Foster, Paul Hughes and Colleen Keck.

Case opened and terms of reference published

5 October 2023: Ofcom has referred the supply of public cloud infrastructure services in the UK to the CMA for a market investigation.

• Terms of reference (5.10.23)
• Press release: CMA launches market investigation into cloud services (5.10.23)

Contact

[email protected]

Personal information

The CMA may collect, use and share personal data for its market investigations under the Enterprise Act 2002. This includes processing personal data for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

For more information about how the CMA handles personal information, please see the CMA’s personal information charter.

Phase 1

On 6 October 2022, Ofcom published a market study notice launching its market study into the provision of cloud services in the United Kingdom.

On 5 April 2023, Ofcom published the interim report on its cloud services market study. Alongside its interim report, Ofcom consulted on its proposal to make a market investigation reference into the supply of public cloud infrastructure services in the UK.

On 5 October 2023, Ofcom published its decision to refer the supply of public cloud infrastructure services in the UK to the CMA for a market investigation.

Please see Ofcom’s Cloud services market study page for more information.

Published 5 October 2023
Last updated 4 December 2024 + show all updates

1. 4 December 2024

   Administrative timetable updated.

2. 19 September 2024

   Administrative timetable updated and extension notice published.

3. 16 September 2024

   Third set of responses to working papers published. Summaries of hearings with AWS, Microsoft and Google published.

4. 24 July 2024

   Responses to working papers and updated issues statement published.

5. 1 July 2024

   Responses to working papers published.

6. 6 June 2024

   Updated issues statement and 3 working papers (Technical barriers, Licensing practices and Potential remedies) published.

7. 23 May 2024

   Working papers, primary research and progress update published.

8. 20 December 2023

   Response to issues statement published

9. 5 December 2023

   Responses to issues statement published.

10. 23 October 2023

    Administrative timetable published.

11. 17 October 2023

    Issues Statement published

12. 5 October 2023

    First published.