CCI Fines Google Rs 1,338 Crore for Anti-Competitive Practices

The competition regulator also ordered Google not to offer any incentives to smartphone makers for exclusively carrying its search services.

Bengaluru: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said on Thursday, October 20 that it has fined Alphabet Inc’s Google Rs 1,338 crore ($161.95 million) for anti-competitive practices related to Android mobile devices.

The competition regulator also ordered Google not to offer any incentives to smartphone makers for exclusively carrying its search services.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google is facing a series of antitrust cases in India and stricter tech-sector regulations. India’s competition watchdog is also looking into Google’s business conduct in the smart TVs market and its in-app payments system.

Google’s Android operating system powers 97% of India’s 600 million smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research.

(Reuters)