Cooperation, dependence, and eviction: How platform-to-business coopetition relationships should be addressed in mobile telephony ecosystems

Abstract

This contribution aims at analysing the potential effects of competition law-based decisions in the mobile operating systems domain, considering their two-sided structure. Based on the notion of complementary investments, it proposes to investigate the relationships between the keystone player and its partners. After establishing the economic and technical grounds underlying their contractual relationships, we assess them under the length of competition laws requirements. We show that, despite the gains that can result from these relationships, their asymmetrical nature may induce abuses of dominance or anticompetitive takeovers. However, we stress that competition law-based remedies may be poorly efficient to address these issues.