The ACCC has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from TPG as part of the ACCC’s ongoing competition investigation into Google’s search services in Australia.
During the investigation into Google’s conduct, the ACCC became aware of agreements that Google had initiated and entered into with TPG since at least 2018 which meant Google’s search services were pre-installed as the default search service on an exclusive basis on Android devices supplied by TPG.
As a result of the ruling, TPG will not renew or enter into any new agreements with Google that require Google’s search services to be pre-installed and set as the default search function on an exclusive basis on devices they supply.
At the start of July, Telstra and Optus also gave up a share in Google’s advertising revenue following an investigation by the ACCC into Google’s search services in Australia.
Google’s agreements with Telstra and Optus, in place since at least 2017, limited the ability for rival search engines to be pre-installed and promoted on Android devices, in return for a share of Google’s advertising revenue.
These agreements expired June 30.
ACCC commissioner Liza Carver said the industry body is pleased that now all three mobile network operators in Australia have responded to the ACCC’s competition concerns by offering these undertakings.
“In our view, this undertaking from TPG, following those recently accepted from Telstra and Optus, is another important step towards providing Australian consumers with more choice about the digital platforms and services they use, and to encourage more competition in these markets,” she said.
On mobile devices, Google Search’s market share in Australia has remained consistently around 98% from September 2021 to July 2024, with other search engines, including Microsoft’s Bing, only having a small presence.
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