UK regulator says Google and Apple have ‘vice-like’ grip on consumers

LONDON, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Google (GOOGL.O) and Apple (AAPL.O)hold a “vice-like” grip over how people use mobile phones, stripping any meaningful choice from the system for customers, Britain’s competition regulator said on Tuesday.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it had provisionally found that the two groups were able to leverage their market power to create largely self-contained ecosystems. An ability to determine which apps are available on their systems could also lead to…