The UK is launching a market investigation into Apple and Google’s dominance in the mobile market, especially cloud gaming and web browsing.

Apple and Google have an undisputed duopoly in the mobile market. Blackberry, Palm, Nokia, Microsoft Windows, and others have all fallen by the wayside, unable to compete with Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the companies’ duopoly following complaints from developers “that the status quo is harming their businesses, holding back innovation, and adding unnecessary costs.”

A market investigation is an in-depth investigation that will look at the state of the market and see if competition is being negatively impacted. The CMA has the authority to impose rules on how a business operates, or can even force a company to sell off some of its businesses if they are deemed anti-competitive.

“We want to make sure that UK consumers get the best new mobile data services, and that UK developers can invest in innovative new apps,” said Sarah Cardell, interim Chief Executive of the CMA.

“Many UK businesses and web developers tell us they feel that they are being held back by restrictions set by Apple and Google,” Cardell added. “When the new Digital Markets regime is in place, it’s likely to address these sorts of issues. In the meantime, we are using our existing powers to tackle problems where we can. We plan to investigate whether the concerns we have heard are justified and, if so, identify steps to improve competition and innovation in these sectors.”