Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: The growth of Google’s Android ecosystem is on the verge of stalling in India amid an antitrust order that asks the firm to change how it markets the platform, Reuters reported citing a Supreme Court challenge by the US company.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a fine of $161 million on Alphabet Inc-owned Google (GOOGL.O) in October for taking advantage of its dominant position in Android, which provides for 97 percent of smartphones in India, and asked it to change the curbs on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps.
Google will have to amend its existing contracts
The tech firm has so far said the CCI decision will force it to change its long-standing business model, but its Indian Supreme Court filing for the first time sums up the impact and lists down the changes the company will need to make. Google will have to amend its existing contracts, introduce new license agreements and modify its existing arrangements with more than 1,100 device makers and thousands of app developers, it says.
The US tech giant has been concerned about the Indian decision as the measures ordered are seen as more sweeping than 2018 landmark ruling by the European Commission to impose unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device makers. The $4.3 billion fine in that case was challenged by Google.
