India competition regulator fines Google $161.95 million for anti-competitive practices

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BENGALURU – India’s competition regulator said on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, it has fined Alphabet Inc’s Google 13.38 billion Indian rupees ($161.95 million) for anti-competitive practices related to Android mobile devices.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) 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.

($1 = 82.6180 Indian rupees)