Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Friday that a new Indian antitrust order to change the way the company sells its Android platform will raise costs for app developers, device makers and, in turn, consumers.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October fined Google $161 million for abusing its dominant position in Android and asked it to change restrictions on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps.
Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say its imposition of restrictions, such as mandatory pre-installation of its own apps, is anti-competitive. The company says such deals help keep Android free.
Earlier this month, reported that Google had warned in a challenged Supreme Court order that the growth of the Android ecosystem in India was on the verge of stalling due to the regulation. Android powers 97% of smartphones in the country.
By: Vaishali verma
