Dotcoms called to order by regulators

Identifying and preventing anti-competitive behaviour by dotcom companies is vital to the development of ecommerce in the UK, according to government regulators.

Telecoms watchdog Oftel and the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published a consultation paper on the UK ecommerce market this week. The regulators said that regular assessments of the market are needed to prevent anti-competitive behaviour stifling the growth of ecommerce.

David Edmonds, director general of Oftel, said: "For ecommerce to develop in the UK to its full potential, it is vital that companies, and small businesses in particular, can take full advantage of new technologies to provide innovative services to customers."

"Competition in the mechanisms through which ecommerce will be delivered is the key to achieving this aim. This will ensure that both businesses and home users enjoy maximum choice of ecommerce services through the medium of their choosing at competitive prices," he added.

OFT director Margaret Bloom warned that both OFT and Oftel will take action where necessary to prevent anti-competitive behaviour.

The consultation, which will be published in a final report later this year, also said that ecommerce growth will be driven by the increase of unmetered internet access services, and the development of higher bandwidth access to the home and office.