Apple asked the European Union to scrap its landmark digital competition law on Thursday, arguing that it poses security risks and creates a “worse experience” for consumers.

The US tech giant and the EU have repeatedly locked horns over the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which Brussels says seeks to make the digital sector in the 27-nation bloc fairer and more open.

“The DMA should be repealed while a more appropriate fit for purpose legislative instrument is put in place,” Apple said in a formal submission to the European Commission as part of a consultation on the law.

The latest clash came as President Donald Trump sought to pressure the EU over decisions and laws affecting US Big Tech—with key industry figures including Apple chief Tim Cook moving closer to the White House since Trump’s return to power.

“It’s become clear that the DMA is leading to a worse experience for Apple users in the EU,” the tech giant said in a blog post accompanying its submission. “It’s exposing them to new risks, and disrupting the simple, seamless way their Apple products work together.”

Pushing for wholesale reform of the law if it is not repealed, Apple suggested enforcement “should be undertaken by an independent European agency” rather than the commission, the EU’s executive arm and digital watchdog.

The DMA challenges Apple’s closed ecosystem, but Brussels argues that it is necessary to do so to level the playing field for Apple’s rivals and avoid unfair market domination.

The law tells Big Tech firms what they can and cannot do on their platforms. For example, companies must offer choice screens for web browsers and search engines to give users more options.

Violations of the DMA can lead to hefty fines.

Brussels in April slapped a 500-million-euro ($590-million) fine on Apple under the DMA, which the company has appealed.

Delays for EU users

Apple says dangers are posed when Europeans can download app marketplaces that rival its App Store.

The giant also cites an increasing number of complaints from users about DMA-related changes but has not provided exact figures.

It argued in its 25-page submission that the EU’s law had forced it to delay new features in the bloc.

For example, Apple has not yet rolled out “live translation”—which allows consumers to choose another language to hear via AirPods in their ears.

The technology was launched this month in the United States but Apple says it must undertake further engineering work to ensure users’ privacy in the EU.

Under the DMA, companies including Apple must make sure their products can work seamlessly with third-party devices such as earphones.

The commission said it was “normal” companies sometimes needed more time to make sure their products were in line with the new law and that it was helping them comply.

DMA enforcement began in March 2024 and the EU’s consultation on the first review of the law ended just before midnight on Wednesday.

Independently from the digital rules, Apple has faced the heat under different EU competition rules. Brussels slapped it with a 1.8-billion-euro fine in March 2024.

© 2025 AFP

In what its CEO describes as a UK infrastructure success story that is a credit to the investment, hard work and ambition of everyone at the BT-owned broadband provision company, Openreach has revealed that its current infrastructure programme has now hit a major milestone, with 20 million homes and businesses now able to access its full-fibre broadband network.

In a geographic and lyrical flourish, Openreach said its network now reaches from “the beautiful, windswept Fair Isle in Scotland’s far north to the far reaches of Devon and Cornwall in England’s South West”, its engineers having laid full-fibre cables in cities, towns and villages throughout the UK.

Ultimately, and assuming that it can take advantage of the right economic and regulatory conditions, Openreach hopes to make its full-fibre network available to as many as 30 million premises in all corners of the UK by the end of the decade. It says full-fibre infrastructure is already becoming the backbone of Britain’s digital economy, supporting everything from smart farming and sustainable transport to remote working and virtual healthcare.

Openreach describes its build-out project as one of the largest and fastest broadband infrastructure programmes in Europe, with engineers now reaching more than a million new homes every three months. It has so far included around 33,000 medical facilities and more than 25,000 colleges, schools and universities, helping to “transform” access to critical services.

Openreach claims to be building its new network to connect customers faster and further than any other provider in the UK, reaching an average of 85,000 new premises every week. In total, more than 3,500 UK towns, cities, boroughs, villages and hamlets have so far been included in the build programme, with others being reached through publicly funded partnerships.

As an indication of the progress of the build-out, on 1 July 2025, Openreach reported that 19 million premises across the UK could then order its gigabit broadband technology and that it was on track to reach five million more homes and businesses with its broadband network during the year to March 2026.

It added that seven million UK premises were already taking services based on its network via a host of popular providers – 37% of the full footprint. Yet Openreach noted that, at present, only around 38% of households that could order full-fibre from Openreach have made the switch.

For Openreach chief executive Clive Selley, reaching 20 million premises represents a UK infrastructure success story, but he stressed that the job in hand was not done yet, especially given that the next premises to connect were some of the very hardest to reach.

“In 2025, being online isn’t a luxury – it’s a lifeline. From booking GP appointments to applying for jobs, accessing education and launching businesses, digital connectivity is the gateway to opportunity. Full-fibre makes that gateway faster and far more reliable, and it will keep up with the demands of our digital world,” he said.

“But upgrades don’t often happen automatically, so people need to contact their broadband provider to make the switch. To finish the job, we need the right support as an industry, including targeted help for some rural areas, faster planning approvals, better access to multi-dwelling buildings, and a regulatory and policy environment that gives investors confidence and allows competition to thrive.”

The UK government is supporting the launch of its second artificial intelligence (AI) growth zone in North East England by creating a task force that will work to ensure the proposed benefits of the endeavour are realised.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the task force will comprise a coalition of tech firms, local universities and skills providers who will work together to create jobs and ease any planning issues that arise from the creation of the growth zone.

“With new roles expected, including in construction through to energy to cutting-edge AI, the new taskforce will work hand-in-hand with local organisations to create training and apprenticeship routes that ensure the benefits are felt across the region,” said DSIT in a statement. “With members spanning the AI sector, from datacentre builders to local training providers and world-class researchers, the taskforce kicks off work today [25 September 2025].”

The taskforce’s launch will be overseen by technology secretary Liz Kendall and North East England mayor Kim McGuinness, who said the aim is to “focus minds” on getting the sites that will make up the AI growth zone – in Blyth and Cobalt Park – up and running as quickly as possible. 

“Spades are expected in the ground within weeks, with the taskforce laser-focused on unblocking planning issues, securing further investment and ensuring energy access,” said DSIT.

While the taskforce will initially focus on getting the AI growth zone up and running, in the longer term its focus will be on making sure the local economy benefits from the impact of AI, in terms of jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for young people. 

“We’re backing local talent with the skills and training they need to thrive in the jobs of tomorrow,” said Kendall.  “From laying the physical foundations and building datacentres to launching careers in AI, this growth zone is about creating real opportunities for people right across the region.” 

McGuinness, who was elected mayor in May 2024, said the creation of the growth zone stands to have a “transformational” impact on the local economy, with the creation of thousands of jobs for local residents while allowing North East England to lead the way on AI.

“Now we need to work with businesses to develop the talent right here, and make sure the benefits of AI reach the people of the region,” she said. “We’ve already mobilised a taskforce of business leaders, industry experts and skills providers to deliver exactly that. I want kids in school here today to see their place in an AI-driven future, and this is how we make sure it provides a new future for our young people.” 

The government’s AI growth zone agenda was announced back in January 2025, in its AI opportunities action plan policy paper, which set out the steps it is planning to take to position the UK as an AI superpower.

The AI growth zones themselves are described by the government as being designated sites that are well-suited to housing AI-enabled datacentres and their supporting infrastructure, as they have access to power supplies of at least 500MW and sympathetic planning support.

The AI growth zone in North East England is the second zone the government has announced, with the first confirmed in January 2025 as being located in Culham, Oxfordshire.