Japan FTC Questions Oligopoly in Smartphone OS Market

Tokyo, Feb. 9 (Jiji Press)--The Japan Fair Trade Commission on Thursday released a report questioning an oligopoly in the domestic smartphone operating system market, which is dominated by Google LLC's Android and Apple Inc.'s iOS.

The antitrust watchdog said that the market lacks sufficient competitive pressure, and that it could cause a problem under the antimonopoly law.

It urged Apple and Google to avoid practices such as giving preferential treatment to apps they develop themselves, and recommended the creation of a legal system to ensure their compliance.

The Japanese government's Headquarters for Digital Market Competition is currently studying the market, with a view to drafting legislation.

The report also pointed to an oligopoly by Google and Apple as operators of smartphone app stores.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]