One way or the (same) other way. - Google to pull GMS out of turkey after court decision

[williamcll]

Google has announced that it will stop providing GMS licenses to Turkey after the court ruled that the company was violating competition law. How this will affect local phone manufacturers is not certain. 

Quote

ech giant Google has suspended its services for new Android smartphones in Turkey unless the country backtracks from its decision to fine the company for violating competition law, the company announced Sunday.

The decision will not affect current users or current phone models already existing on the market. The move will only suspend Google services for Android devices yet to be released.

Turkey's Competition Authority last September announced it had fined Google some TL 93 million for violating competition laws with its mobile software sales. The watchdog said in March this year that it was launching a broader investigation into Google based on preliminary findings.

Google told Turkish business partners, phone manufacturers and telecom carriers selling smartphones that it would not grant licenses to Android phones set to be launched on the Turkish market for the use of its services, including Google Play Store, Gmail, YouTube and other Google applications. Accordingly, Google said it would also suspend operating system updates.

According to Habertürk daily, Google has suspended licenses to Turkey as of Dec. 12. The company did not comment on the issue.

 

Google also asked companies to pressure Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan and the head of the competition authority via telephone and e-mail to reverse their decision, or else manufactures and vendors will be negatively impacted, Habertürk said.

The watchdog first initiated an investigation in March 2017 to determine whether Google had violated the country's competition law, before announcing the fine in September last year and a broader investigation in March this year.

The initial probe aimed to determine whether Google's contracts with equipment producers – in addition to its mobile communications systems, applications and provision of services – found the tech giant had violated the law.

The competition authority later announced the probe into Google International LLC, Google LLC, Google Ireland Limited, Alphabet Inc. and the global giant's Turkish branch Google Reklamcılık ve Pazarlama Ltd. Şti.

It had said a preliminary investigation had found that Google had abused its dominant position in the search engine and advertising market by putting its own local search service forward and making the efforts of other companies difficult.

The watchdog found the information, documents and findings of the preliminary probe sufficient to launch a wider investigation into the company and its practices.

 

Google is the world's most used search engine by far, with an estimated market share of over 90%. So is Chrome, Google's browser, with over 60%. Android is said to be running on 74.85% of all smartphones worldwide.

According to Habertürk, some 10-11 million mobile phones are sold in Turkey every year, with Android running on a majority of the devices.

Source:https://www.dailysabah.com/technology/2019/12/15/google-turkey-suspends-services-for-upcoming-phones-over-fine

Thoughts: If the European union also passed their anti competition rule as well maybe it would be enough to convince Google to change how they offer their services unless they want to lose another chunk of their userbase. Great for the competition though. 

[LogicWeasel]

I'd be curious to see evidence of exactly what google did to suppress their competition.  I will believe that they have an interest in doing it, but the summary doesn't really cover actual offences, just accuses them of being a violator.  Also why is it that countries don't enforce this kind of big-market bully stuff with Amazon?  They sell their stuff and they crush competitors on their platform and manipulate the search, but meanwhile governments seem to just want a payday by attacking the Google money piñata.  

 

I ask this: what consumer is crying foul that their android phone needs easier ways to switch the search provider?  If the user really wants another search don't they already have a choice?  There are some fully open source search-app phone options, but no one is selling them ... gee wonder why?  You can pick google or apple for phone OS, but it seems even the Windows Phone OS is dead, so it's not like the ecosystem is ripe with competitors willing to design a full phone OS anyway...

[carrickwater]

6 hours ago, huilun02 said:

Turkey: "Google you are being anticompetitive! Pay us the fine or we will..."

 

Google: "Or you will ban us from your country? Uh ok sure let me help you with that. I've just banned myself in your country. Hope all is Gucci now :)"

Haha what an awesome reply

[mr moose]

So apple and Huewawie will have a small easy win for a bit there.  

 

To be honest, I would love to see android separated from google, I am not usually in favor of telling a company how they should use and distribute their own product, but when they abuse their position the way google are with data collection I don't see much of an alternative. 

[Beskamir]

Next week's news: "Turkey has dropped all charges and is begging (aka paying) google to come back"