Deutsche Telekom set to file an antitrust complaint against Google
Deutsche Telekom AG is filing an antitrust complaint with European competition authorities against Google which it claims has used the Android operating system to unfairly promote its own apps.
The German telecommunications giant is expected to file a report in November which will formally set out its grievances with how Google has used its Android mobile operating system to disproportionately promote its own products like Google Maps and online search over its rivals.
The European Union has accused Google of manipulating search results in order to lead customers to its shopping services and has opened an antitrust investigation into its Android mobile operating system. Last month it also reopened its four year antitrust investigation into Google’s search and advertising business.
Google chairman Eric Schmidt has vehemently denied the claims in a letter to the Financial Times last month in which he insisted that “Google is not ‘the gateway to the internet’” and added “nor is it true that we promote our own products at the expense of competitors… if you want to buy something, whether it is shoes or insurance, we try to show offers and websites where you can actually buy things”.
The latest complaint marks the second time that Deutsche Telekom has taken issue against Google after it submitted a complaint to the European Complaints Commission’s during its investigation into Google's Web search. Russia’s competition watchdog meanwhile has given Google until 18 November to stop what it calls is the unfair bundling of its apps on Android devices which it says has shut out rival offerings.