The Australian Competitors and Shopper Fee (ACCC) has initiated Federal Court docket proceedings towards Google Asia Pacific, alleging anti-competitive agreements with Telstra and Optus regarding the pre-installation of Google Search on Android cellphones.
Google has admitted legal responsibility and agreed to suggest a A$55m ($35.8m) penalty, topic to courtroom approval.
The agreements, efficient from December 2019 to March 2021, mandated that Telstra and Optus completely pre-install Google Search on Android units bought to shoppers, excluding different serps.
In alternate, the telcos acquired a portion of Google’s promoting income generated from searches on these units.
The corporate has acknowledged that these preparations have been more likely to have “considerably” lessened competitors.
Moreover, Google and its US dad or mum, Google, have signed a court-enforceable enterprise accepted by the ACCC to deal with broader competitors issues associated to contractual preparations with Android telephone producers and Australian telcos since 2017.
“Google doesn’t agree with all the ACCC’s issues however has acknowledged them and provided the enterprise to deal with these issues,” the ACCC famous.
The enterprise consists of commitments to take away sure pre-installation and default search engine restrictions in Google’s contracts.Telstra, Optus, and TPG beforehand offered related court-enforceable undertakings in June and August 2024, agreeing to not enter or renew unique pre-installation and default search agreements with Google.
These telcos at the moment are permitted to configure search providers on a device-by-device foundation and have interaction with different search suppliers.
The telcos usually are not events to the present proceedings. The ACCC’s actions stem from its Digital Platform Companies Inquiry, which raised issues about Google’s contractual preparations for search defaults and selection screens.
ACCC Chair Gina-Cass Gottlieb stated: “At present’s [18 August 2025] consequence, together with Telstra, Optus and TPG’s undertakings, have created the potential for thousands and thousands of Australians to have larger search selection sooner or later, and for competing search suppliers to achieve significant publicity to Australian shoppers.”
“Importantly, these adjustments come at a time when AI search instruments are revolutionising how we seek for data, creating new competitors,” she added.
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