Second Billion-Dollar Fine Could Await Google Over Android Case

Google was recently fined by the EU antitrust commission with $2.7 billion for its anti-competitive practices involving its search engine. Now, the company could be looking at yet another fine that might actually be bigger than the previous one. The case this time is about its Android operating system, which was reportedly shutting out rival companies.

The fine is still being considered by the commission, so it’s not even confirmed if Google will need to pay at all, Reuters reports. However, past occurrences are not in favor of the company since the commission invariably comes up with a figure and stamps the seal.

As to how much Google will need to pay this time, current expectations by experts and those on the commission puts it above the $2.7 billion that the company was charged recently. This is owing to the fact that Android presents significant potential for growth in the EU market.

With regards to how this case would affect the tech firm’s business, the anti-competition measures would force the company to allow local partners to put whatever apps they want on their devices. As independent financial analyst Richard Windsor notes, this would then lead to a decline in the use of Google’s services, particularly with regards to the Google Play app store.

"If Google was forced to unbundle Google Play from its other Digital Life services, handset makers and operators would be free to set whatever they like by default potentially triggering a decline in the usage of Google's services," Windsor said.

Right now, there is no set date or even a rough estimate of the timeline that the decision will be made, Business Insider reports. Experts believe that the Commission will come to a conclusion by next yet, during which time, Google will have the opportunity to argue or appeal its cases further.