Google’s Android mobile operating system is about to face a challenge as China is set to launch an antitrust investigation accusing the company of crushing its competition, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, Chinese telecom infrastructure provider and smartphone vendor Huawei initiated the complaint last year. It was later submitted by the State Administration for Market Regulation, China’s top market regulator, to the State Council’s antitrust committee for review.
The decision to file a formal investigation into Google is expected to be announced “as early as October,” one of the sources told Reuters. China would investigate whether Google’s market position could lead to “extreme damage” to Chinese firms like Huawei, which might lead to a loss of confidence and revenue for the US giant, according to another source.
The news comes at a time when the US Justice Department is launching an antitrust probe over Google regarding to the firm’s dominance over internet search, reach in ad technology, as well as ads pricing and positioning, according to the New York Times. While the department has not written the final complaint against Google, the legal actions are expected to challenge the dominant position of Google, which currently controls 90% of the online search market in the US.
Google is currently not available in China.