The Online Intermediation Platforms Market Inquiry has been extended by another two months to enable further extensive consultation after additional recommendations.

The Competition Commission was initially expected to complete the inquiry on February 18; however, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel granted the inquiry until April 18 to finalise and complete its report.

The extension has been granted to permit the continuation of the inquiry’s extensive consultation process on additional recommendations.

Further, the Commission calls for comments on the inquiry’s recommended Commission Guidelines or Section 78 Regulations by the close of business on February 28.

After considering the initial submissions on the Provisional Report recommendations along with other factors in respect of future enforcement, the inquiry is currently of the view that Section 78 Regulations are desirable as they can strengthen enforcement going forward, the Competition Commission said in a statement.

These guidelines seek to prohibit certain conduct of emerging leading platforms that have not yet occurred in some of the intermediation categories, or which may occur in the future.

The inquiry recommends these regulations or guidelines to permit the identification, and review, of new and emerging platforms and to complement the immediate remedial actions aimed at the current market features that the inquiry has provisionally found to have an adverse effect on competition.

“Given that the inquiry has gained material insights into the business models and competitive dynamics among intermediation platforms that may entrench an uncompetitive and exclusionary market structure, the inquiry is obliged to consider whether the tools at the disposal of the Commission are able to adequately address these future developments, and if not, recommend legislative or regulatory changes,” it concludes.