FCA Consults on LSEG Rooftop Access Proposals to Address Competition Concerns

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is investigating whether the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and the landlord of its data centre building have restricted competition in the supply of low latency connectivity services (LLCS) between certain UK trading venues. Currently, only LSEG can place radio equipment on the rooftop of the data centre, which is crucial for providing high-speed connections between trading venues such as the LSE, Cboe Europe and ICE. The FCA is concerned this exclusivity could disadvantage rival LLCS providers.

To address these concerns, LSEG and the landlord have proposed ending LSEG’s exclusive rooftop rights. Under the commitments, LSEG would retain use of only part of the rooftop, while equivalent space would be made available to third parties on fair and reasonable terms. The FCA considers the proposals may resolve the competition issues and has launched a consultation before making a final decision on whether to accept the commitments and close its investigations.