---
title: "DMA Core Platform Service Scoping"
canonical_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/core-platform-service-scoping-by-service"
source_url: "https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/core-platform-service-scoping-by-service"
author: "Sorena AI"
description: "Scope EU Digital Markets Act core platform services by service category, designation evidence, user thresholds, and Form GD service-boundary records."
published_at: "2026-05-09"
updated_at: "2026-05-09"
keywords:
  - "EU Digital Markets Act"
  - "DMA core platform services"
  - "gatekeeper designation"
  - "Form GD"
  - "business user threshold"
  - "end user threshold"
  - "DMA"
  - "core platform service"
  - "business users"
  - "end users"
---
**[SORENA](https://www.sorena.io/)** - AI-Powered GRC Platform

[Home](https://www.sorena.io/) | [Solutions](https://www.sorena.io/solutions) | [Artifacts](https://www.sorena.io/artifacts) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us) | [Contact](https://www.sorena.io/contact) | [Portal](https://app.sorena.io)

---

# DMA Core Platform Service Scoping

Scope EU Digital Markets Act core platform services by service category, designation evidence, user thresholds, and Form GD service-boundary records.

*Artifact Guide* *EU DMA*

## DMA Core Platform Service Scoping by Service

Use this page to separate DMA core platform service categories, designation evidence, active-user thresholds, and service-boundary records before assigning Article 5, 6, or 7 work.

The scoping record should identify the gatekeeper undertaking, each distinct core platform service, plausible alternative service delineations, EU business-user and end-user metrics, and the Commission designation file or case page that supports the result.

DMA service scoping is not a generic product inventory. Article 2 defines the core platform service categories, Article 3 ties gatekeeper designation to undertaking-level and service-level thresholds, and the implementing Form GD asks for an exhaustive service list, plausible alternative delineations, service boundaries, Member States, and active-user figures. A useful scoping page therefore starts with the named service and its designation evidence, not with a broad statement that a company is large.

## Start with the Article 2 core platform service category

Classify each candidate service against the DMA's closed list of core platform service categories before applying thresholds or obligations. The Article 2 list covers online intermediation services, online search engines, online social networking services, video-sharing platform services, number-independent interpersonal communications services, operating systems, web browsers, virtual assistants, cloud computing services, and online advertising services supplied by an undertaking that also provides one of the other listed core platform services.

Do not use unsupported examples or adjacent product labels as substitutes for the legal category. A service name such as a marketplace, app store, browser, operating system, search engine, social network, messenger, video-sharing service, cloud service, virtual assistant, or advertising service still needs to be tied to one Article 2 category and to the Commission designation or notification record for that specific service.

- Record the Article 2 category for each service rather than grouping all platform products under one DMA label.
- Separate online advertising services from the customer-facing service that creates advertising inventory or data.
- Treat number-independent interpersonal communications services separately from electronic communications networks and electronic communications services outside that DMA category.
- Keep service names, brands, subsidiaries, and operating entities distinct when they affect who operates the service or how the Commission has designated it.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Article 2 defines gatekeeper and lists the ten core platform service categories used for service scoping.
- [European Commission - DMA legislation](https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/legislation_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission legislation page identifies Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 as the main DMA text and points to the procedural implementing regulation and Form GD.

## Tie every service to gatekeeper designation evidence

A designated gatekeeper is an undertaking providing core platform services that has been designated under Article 3. For scoping by service, the relevant question is narrower: which exact core platform services are listed in the designation decision or Commission case page, and which Article 5, 6, or 7 obligations apply to each listed service.

The Commission gatekeepers page lists named gatekeepers and the core platform services attached to their cases, including Alphabet services such as Google Search, YouTube, Android Mobile, Google Chrome, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Shopping, and Alphabet's online advertising service; Amazon Marketplace and Amazon Advertising; Apple AppStore, iOS, Safari, and iPadOS; Booking.com online intermediation services; TikTok; Meta's Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Meta Ads; and Microsoft's LinkedIn and Windows PC OS. Use those designation files and case links as evidence, and avoid inventing additional service examples that are not in the designation record.

- Save the gatekeeper name, service name, Article 2 category, case number, and designation decision link for each scoped service.
- Do not assume that every product of a designated undertaking is itself a designated core platform service.
- If the Commission amends, confirms, repeals, or updates a designation, update the service-level record rather than only the undertaking-level record.
- Where a service has been undesignated or its status has changed, keep the old evidence separate from the current scoping conclusion.

Sources for this answer:

- [European Commission - DMA gatekeepers](https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/gatekeepers_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission gatekeepers page lists designated gatekeepers, designation decisions, case links, service names, and updates such as iPadOS designation and Facebook Marketplace undesignation.
- [Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Article 5 states that gatekeeper obligations apply with respect to each core platform service listed in the designation decision.

## Apply Article 3 thresholds service by service

Article 3 uses cumulative gatekeeper criteria. The undertaking must have significant impact on the internal market, provide a core platform service that is an important gateway for business users to reach end users, and enjoy an entrenched and durable position or a foreseeable durable position.

The quantitative presumptions are also service-specific where users are counted. The undertaking-level impact presumption uses annual Union turnover of at least EUR 7.5 billion in each of the last three financial years, or average market capitalisation or equivalent fair market value of at least EUR 75 billion in the last financial year, plus provision of the same core platform service in at least three Member States. The service-level gateway presumption uses at least 45 million monthly active end users established or located in the Union and at least 10,000 yearly active business users established in the Union in the last financial year. The durable-position presumption is met when those user thresholds are met in each of the last three financial years.

Keep the user counts by distinct service and plausible alternative delineation. A combined product family count is weak evidence if Form GD or a Commission request requires separate figures for service boundaries that could be broader or narrower than the undertaking's preferred view.

- Store annual Union turnover, market capitalisation or fair market value, and Member State coverage at undertaking and service level as applicable.
- Store monthly active end users established or located in the Union for each scoped core platform service and each relevant year.
- Store yearly active business users established in the Union for the same service boundary and period.
- Flag services that meet Article 3(2)(b) user thresholds but not Article 3(2)(c) three-year durability thresholds, because Form GD asks for that distinction.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Article 3 sets the gatekeeper designation criteria, undertaking-level financial thresholds, service-level EU user thresholds, and notification timing.
- [Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/814](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L%5F.2023.102.01.0006.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AL%3A2023%3A102%3ATOC&ref=sorena.io) - Form GD requires service-level reporting of monthly active end users and yearly active business users for each core platform service and plausible alternative delineation.

## Build the Form GD service-boundary record

The procedural implementing regulation makes service delineation an evidence exercise. Form GD asks for an exhaustive list of all core platform services, plausible alternative delineations, and a detailed explanation of the boundaries between distinct core platform services. It also asks which services meet Article 3(2)(b) and (c), which meet Article 3(2)(b) but not (c), and the Member States in which each service is provided.

A practical record should be able to answer four questions without reopening research: what is the undertaking, what is the distinct service, why is this the right boundary, and what alternative boundary could the Commission reasonably test. This is especially important where products are marketed together, embedded in operating systems, split across device types, or supported by shared advertising or identity infrastructure.

- Use one row per distinct core platform service and one linked row per plausible alternative delineation.
- Explain boundary choices using product functionality, user interface, brand, operating entity, device coverage, and how the service is marketed or supplied.
- Attach the service's Article 3(2)(b) and Article 3(2)(c) threshold status to the chosen boundary and to plausible alternatives.
- Keep substantiated Article 3(5) arguments in a separate annex-style record for each distinct service rather than mixing them into the main service inventory.

Sources for this answer:

- [Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/814](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L%5F.2023.102.01.0006.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AL%3A2023%3A102%3ATOC&ref=sorena.io) - Annex I Form GD requires exhaustive core platform service lists, plausible alternative delineations, boundary explanations, threshold status, Member States, and user metrics.
- [European Commission - Further information about the DMA](https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/questions-and-answers/further-information-about-dma_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission Q&A explains how Form GD is submitted and how notifying undertakings can respond when the Commission's preliminary view differs on service delineation.

## Service-scoping checklist for DMA work

Use this checklist before relying on a DMA service scope in compliance reporting, product-change review, business-user handling, interoperability work, or data-use controls. The output should be a service-level evidence record, not a one-line statement that the undertaking is a gatekeeper.

- Identify the undertaking and confirm whether the service is listed in a Commission designation decision, case page, or Form GD notification record.
- Select the Article 2 core platform service category and write why adjacent categories were rejected.
- Record the service boundary, operating entity, brand names, product names, Member States, and any broader or narrower plausible alternative delineations.
- Attach Article 3(2)(a) financial or valuation evidence where relevant, plus Article 3(2)(b) and (c) EU end-user and business-user metrics by service.
- Map Articles 5, 6, and 7 obligations only to services listed in the designation decision, then assign owners for data use, business-user terms, ranking, access, interoperability, and anti-circumvention controls as applicable.
- Set review triggers for new services, new Member State coverage, materially changed user metrics, changed service boundaries, Commission information requests, new designation decisions, amendments, confirmations, or repeals.

Sources for this answer:

- [Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Articles 2, 3, and 5 support category selection, gatekeeper thresholds, service-level designation, and obligation scoping.
- [European Commission - DMA gatekeepers](https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/gatekeepers_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission gatekeepers page provides the public designation evidence and case links used to verify named gatekeepers and scoped services.
- [Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/814](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L%5F.2023.102.01.0006.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AL%3A2023%3A102%3ATOC&ref=sorena.io) - Form GD and Annex II support the required service inventory, boundary explanations, separate user metrics, and annex handling for substantiated arguments.

*Recommended next step*

*Placement: before sources*

## Use service-level DMA scoping before assigning obligations

Sorena can help convert each designated service, Article 2 category, Article 3 threshold record, and Commission case link into a reusable scoping table for DMA compliance work.

- [Open Research Copilot for DMA](/solutions/research-copilot.md): Ask source-linked questions about DMA service categories, gatekeeper designation files, Form GD fields, and service-specific obligation scoping.
- [Talk through service scoping](/contact.md): Review a DMA core platform service inventory, designation evidence, and boundary questions with Sorena.

## Primary sources

- [Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 (Digital Markets Act)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj?ref=sorena.io) - Primary legal text for Article 2 core platform service categories, Article 3 gatekeeper thresholds, designation review, and Article 5 service-level obligation scoping.
  - Quote: "core platform service means any of the following"
- [Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/814](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.L%5F.2023.102.01.0006.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AL%3A2023%3A102%3ATOC&ref=sorena.io) - Procedural regulation containing Form GD, service-boundary fields, threshold reporting fields, and page-limit rules for notification and substantiated-argument submissions.
  - Quote: "Information about core platform services"
- [European Commission - DMA gatekeepers](https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/gatekeepers_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission page with designated gatekeepers, named core platform services, case links, designation decisions, and designation-status updates.
  - Quote: "Core platform services"
- [European Commission - DMA legislation](https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/legislation_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission legislation page linking the main DMA regulation, procedural implementing regulation, notices, guidelines, and templates used in DMA proceedings.
  - Quote: "main rules for the designation of gatekeepers"
- [European Commission - Further information about the DMA](https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/questions-and-answers/further-information-about-dma_en?ref=sorena.io) - Commission Q&A for DMA contacts, Form GD submission, third-party submissions, and designation-process questions including service delineation.
  - Quote: "delineation of core platform services"

## Related Topic Guides

- [DMA Anti-Circumvention Design Review for Gatekeeper Product Changes](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/anti-circumvention-design-review.md): Review DMA Article 13 anti-circumvention risks in gatekeeper product, interface, contractual, commercial, and technical changes with obligation mapping and evidence records.
- [DMA Article 11 Compliance Report Template FAQ](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/faq/compliance-report-template.md): How gatekeepers should use the DMA Article 11 compliance report template to document obligation-by-obligation measures, evidence, updates, and non-confidential summaries.
- [DMA Article 6 Business User Data Access Guide](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/business-user-data-access.md): Grounded guide to EU Digital Markets Act Article 6 data access for business users, end users, authorised third parties, consent boundaries, and evidence handoffs.
- [DMA Article 6(7) and Article 7 interoperability obligations](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/article-6-7-interoperability.md): Grounded guide to DMA interoperability duties: Article 6(7) operating-system feature access, Article 7 messaging interoperability, request handling, security conditions, and compliance evidence.
- [DMA Articles 5, 6 and 7 obligations mapped to CPS evidence](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/core-obligations-by-obligation.md): Map EU Digital Markets Act Articles 5, 6 and 7 obligations to affected core platform services, product evidence, legal owners, and Article 11 compliance-report artifacts.
- [DMA compliance program and monitoring for gatekeepers](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/compliance-program-and-monitoring.md): Build a DMA compliance program around Article 8 effective compliance, Article 11 reporting evidence, Article 13 anti-circumvention controls, and Article 28 compliance-function governance.
- [DMA core platform services FAQ](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/faq/core-platform-services.md): FAQ on EU Digital Markets Act core platform services: Article 2 service categories, gatekeeper designation evidence, user thresholds, service scoping, and Article 11 reporting.
- [DMA CPS Obligation Matrix Workflow: Articles 5, 6, 7 and Article 11 Evidence](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/cps-obligation-matrix-workflow.md): Build a DMA core platform service obligation matrix that links each designated CPS to Articles 5, 6 and 7 duties, product owners, designation evidence, Article 11 report artifacts and review gates.
- [DMA designation intake workflow for gatekeeper notifications](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/designation-intake-workflow.md): Build a grounded DMA designation intake record covering core platform service classification, Article 3 thresholds, Form GD evidence, Commission handoff, and Article 11 readiness.
- [DMA enforcement, penalties, and remedies: Commission powers and evidence](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/enforcement-penalties-and-remedies.md): EU Digital Markets Act enforcement guide covering Commission non-compliance decisions, DMA fine caps, periodic penalty payments, remedies, interim measures, commitments, and Article 11 evidence.
- [DMA Gatekeeper Compliance Checklist for Articles 5, 6, 7 and 11](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/gatekeeper-compliance-checklist.md): A grounded EU Digital Markets Act checklist for designated gatekeepers: core platform service scope, Article 5/6/7 controls, Article 11 report evidence, anti-circumvention checks, and review gates.
- [DMA Gatekeeper Designation Guide: Article 3 thresholds, Form GD, and Article 11 readiness](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/gatekeeper-designation-guide.md): A grounded EU Digital Markets Act guide for assessing Article 3 gatekeeper thresholds, scoping core platform services, preparing Form GD evidence, handling rebuttal annexes, and planning Article 11 compliance reporting.
- [DMA gatekeeper thresholds: what counts and when to notify](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/faq/gatekeeper-thresholds.md): Standalone FAQ on the EU Digital Markets Act gatekeeper thresholds, Article 3 notification timing, Form GD evidence, and active user-count methodology.
- [DMA interoperability requests: Article 7 and Commission guidance](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/faq/interoperability-requests.md): How EU Digital Markets Act interoperability requests work for Article 7 messaging services, Article 6(7) operating-system access, gatekeeper evidence, requester evidence, and security safeguards.
- [DMA penalties and fines: caps, triggers, and enforcement evidence](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/penalties-and-fines.md): EU Digital Markets Act penalties guide covering Article 30 fine caps, Article 31 periodic penalty payments, non-compliance decisions, remedies, and evidence records.
- [DMA Product Change Review Workflow for Articles 5, 6, 7, 11 and 13](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/product-change-review-workflow.md): Review DMA-relevant product releases for Article 5, Article 6, Article 7, anti-circumvention, Article 11 evidence, and product-owner/legal signoff.
- [DMA Self-Preferencing Compliance Examples for Ranking and Display](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/self-preferencing-compliance-examples.md): Examples and release-review controls for DMA Article 6(5) self-preferencing checks across ranking, indexing, crawling, search results, marketplaces, app stores, feeds, and virtual assistants.
- [DMA vs Data Act: gatekeeper duties compared with EU data-sharing rules](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/dma-vs-data-act.md): Compare the EU Digital Markets Act and EU Data Act by scope, actors, data access, interoperability, reporting, evidence, and enforcement without merging distinct obligations.
- [DMA vs DSA: Digital Markets vs Services Act](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/dma-vs-dsa.md): A grounded comparison of the DMA and DSA focused on gatekeepers, core platform services, DMA obligations, Article 11 reporting, interoperability, data access, and enforcement.
- [DMA vs EU competition law: gatekeeper obligations, Article 11 evidence, and enforcement](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/dma-vs-eu-competition-law.md): Compare the EU Digital Markets Act with EU competition law: ex ante gatekeeper and core platform service duties, Articles 5 to 7, Article 11 reports, penalties, and evidence records.
- [DMA vs GDPR: gatekeeper data obligations compared](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/dma-vs-gdpr.md): Compare DMA gatekeeper obligations with high-level GDPR overlap for consent, combining personal data, data access, portability, and Article 11 reporting.
- [EU Digital Markets Act Article 11 Evidence Calendar](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/annual-report-evidence-calendar.md): Build a source-grounded DMA Article 11 compliance report calendar with evidence owners, annual update checkpoints, report sections, and review gates.
- [EU Digital Markets Act checklist for gatekeeper compliance](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/checklist.md): A source-grounded DMA checklist for designated gatekeepers and core platform services, covering scope, Articles 5, 6 and 7 obligations, Article 11 reporting, evidence, anti-circumvention, and governance.
- [EU Digital Markets Act compliance: gatekeeper obligations and evidence](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/compliance.md): DMA compliance guide for designated gatekeepers: core platform service scoping, Articles 5, 6 and 7 controls, Article 11 reports, anti-circumvention checks, interoperability evidence, and enforcement risk.
- [EU Digital Markets Act deadlines and compliance calendar](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/deadlines-and-compliance-calendar.md): Track DMA notification, designation, six-month obligation start, Article 11 reporting, Article 14 concentration notices, Article 15 profiling audits, and preparation milestones using official EU sources.
- [EU Digital Markets Act FAQ: gatekeepers, DMA obligations, reports, and enforcement](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/faq.md): Concise FAQ on the EU Digital Markets Act for gatekeeper designation, core platform services, Articles 5, 6 and 7 obligations, Article 11 reports, interoperability, business-user data access, compliance evidence, and enforcement.
- [EU Digital Markets Act requirements for gatekeepers](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/requirements.md): DMA requirements for designated gatekeepers: core platform service scope, Articles 5, 6 and 7 obligations, Article 11 reporting, anti-circumvention, evidence, remedies, and fines.
- [EU Digital Markets Act Timeline and Key Milestones: practical obligations and evidence guide](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/timeline-and-key-milestones.md): Practical EU Digital Markets Act guide to Timeline and Key Milestones: scope, owners, evidence, edge cases, checklist steps, and external source-linked citations.
- [EU DMA Applicability Test: gatekeeper thresholds, core platform services, and evidence](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/applicability-test.md): Test whether the EU Digital Markets Act may apply to a platform service using the DMA gatekeeper criteria, core platform service categories, EU user thresholds, notification steps, and evidence records.
- [EU DMA Article 11 Compliance Reporting Guide](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/article-11-reporting.md): Source-grounded guide to EU Digital Markets Act Article 11 compliance reports: report purpose, template evidence, non-confidential summaries, annual updates, and submission steps.
- [EU DMA do's and don'ts for product teams](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/dos-and-donts-for-product-teams.md): Product release checks for designated DMA gatekeepers: Article 5, 6 and 7 obligations, anti-circumvention review, data access, interoperability, self-preferencing and Article 11 evidence.
- [What do DMA Articles 5, 6, and 7 require from gatekeepers?](/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/faq/articles-5-6-and-7-obligations.md): FAQ explaining how EU Digital Markets Act Articles 5, 6, and 7 group gatekeeper obligations, what product evidence they require, and how Article 11 reporting connects.


---

[Privacy Policy](https://www.sorena.io/privacy) | [Terms of Use](https://www.sorena.io/terms-of-use) | [DMCA](https://www.sorena.io/dmca) | [About Us](https://www.sorena.io/about-us)

(c) 2026 Sorena AB (559573-7338). All rights reserved.

Source: https://www.sorena.io/artifacts/eu/digital-markets-act/core-platform-service-scoping-by-service