The anti-trust agency in India has fined Google more than $160 million after an investigation revealed the internet giant was abusing its dominant position in the local smartphone market.
According to research firm Counterpoint, the Android mobile operating system from the California-based corporation is by far the market leader in India and is used on 95% of all smartphones there.
However, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said that the operating system was set up in a way that illegally crowded out competitors to YouTube, Chrome, and other well-known Google apps.
According to a CCI statement late Thursday, Android's pre-installed Google apps, which included the company's own search engine, "awarded significant competitive edge to Google's search services over its competitors."
“Markets should be allowed to compete on merits and the onus is on (Google) that its conduct does not impinge this competition on merits,” it added.
The commission levied a fine of 13.4 billion rupees ($162 million) and instructed the company to allow Android users to remove pre-installed Google apps.
It also told Google not to enter into any agreement with smartphone makers that would encourage them to only sell Android-based devices or exclusively use its software.
Google faced a similar anti-trust ruling in the European Union that found the company had imposed “unlawful restrictions” on smartphone makers to benefit its search engine.
Last month the EU’s second-highest court upheld a $4.1 billion fine against the company.
Global regulators have followed suit, with Google facing a barrage of cases in the United States and Asia based on similar accusations.
India is home to the second-highest number of smartphone users in the world, after China.
Its smartphone market grew 27 percent year on year in 2021, according to Counterpoint, with annual sales exceeding 169 million units.
More than 60 percent of phones sold in the country come from leading Chinese manufacturers including Xiaomi and Oppo.
Apple remains a minor player in the budget-conscious market but has seen some inroads in recent years, and the company last month announced plans to locally manufacture its flagship iPhone 14.