Google is being fined a second EU antitrust fine in mid-July for using its dominant Android mobile operating system to squeeze its rivals.
Google faces an EU antitrust fine for Android
The European Commission, which has been investigating the case involving the Alphabet unit since 2015, may issue its decision in the week of 9 July, although the date may change.
As a deterrent to others, the EU sanction is likely to exceed the record fine of €2.4 billion ($2.8 billion) imposed on Google last year for unfairly favouring its procurement service.
The EU competition authority will also tell Google to stop its anti-competitive practices, such as licensing agreements that prevent smartphone manufacturers from promoting alternatives to applications such as Google Search and Google Maps.
Android is the biggest of the three EU cases against the world’s number one Internet search engine, Google, because of its huge growth potential.
However, changes imposed by the EU may have little impact on Google because of its market power and the benefits of staying with the company, according to industry executives, analysts and even critics.
Google, for its part, recently requested a closed-door hearing to present its case to senior Commission officials and national competition agencies after it was informed of new details and evidence the regulator plans to use against the company. Your request was denied.
A third case in which Google was accused of blocking its rivals in its AdSense search advertising in 2016 is likely to last until the end of the year or even later. The company has stopped its alleged anti-competitive behaviour.