ICT platforms and regulatory concerns in Europe

The rise of platforms in ICT markets invites a reappraisal of regulatory frameworks and practices. As platforms originating in entirely different sectors increasingly compete directly against each other, regulators ought to address platform competition issues regardless of their sector of origin, and taking into account the specificities of two-sided or multi-sided market business models. This paper identifies different types of such business models in ICT markets. It offers an exploration of a number of specific concerns that may arise related to specific platform types, and points at a number of instruments available to regulators to address these concerns.Platforms Business models Policy EU Regulation Market definition ICT Telecommunications