India antitrust probe finds Google abused Android

Antitrust findings is the latest setback for tech giant

Google abused the dominant position of its Android operating system in India, using its “huge financial muscle” to illegally hurt competitors, the country’s antitrust authority found in a report on its twoyear probe seen by Reuters.

Alphabet Inc’s Google reduced “the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to develop and sell devices operating on alternative versions of Android,” says the June report by the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) investigations unit.

The US tech giant said in a statement it looks forward to working with the CCI to “demonstrate how Android has led to more competition and innovation, not less.” Google has not received the investigation report, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

Senior CCI members will review the report and give Google another chance to defend itself, before issuing a final order, which could include penalties, said another person familiar with the case.

Its findings are the latest antitrust setback for Google in India, where it faces several probes in the payments markets. The company has been investigated in Europe, the United States and elsewhere. This week, South Korea’s antitrust regulator fined Google $180 million for blocking customised versions of Android.

Market dominance

Android powers 98 per cent of India’s 520 million smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research.

When the CCI ordered the probe, it said Google appeared to have leveraged its dominance to reduce device makers’ ability to opt for alternate versions of its mobile operating system and force them to pre-install Google apps.

India remains a key growth market for Google. It said last year it would spend $10 billion in the country over five to seven years through equity investments and tie-ups.