PROBE ACROSS THE POND

The British competition watchdog is investigating whether Apple and Google’s dominance in the mobile ecosystem is hurting consumers, the group announced Tuesday.

The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority said it will look at whether the California-based companies’ “effective duopoly” in the mobile ecosystem is stifling competition in a way that leads to reduced innovation and consumers paying higher prices for devices, apps and other services.

The watchdog’s study will also look at any effects the companies’ market power has over other businesses, including app developers.