Google LLC is said to be facing fresh regulatory scrutiny over the way it licenses Android to handset makers.

Citing two sources, Reuters reported today that India’s antitrust watchdog has opened a probe to determine if the search giant abused the dominant position of its mobile operating system in the country. An estimated 99 percent of the smartphones sold in India this year shipped with Android. According to one of the sources, authorities are looking into the same issues that were the subject of a 2018 investigation by the European Union.

That case, which ended with a $5 billion fine last July, focused on Google’s app bundling practices. The EU said the company required handset makers to preinstall Google Search and Chrome on devices as a condition of licensing Android. Moreover, the search giant was found to have paid certain large device manufacturers not to include any competing search app for users.

The fact that the EU found grounds for a fine could potentially strengthen the Competition Commission of India’s case against Google. Moreover, one of Reuters’ sources said the watchdog has already “preliminarily” concluded the search giant violated competition law.

The investigation is expected to take a year and could reportedly see regulators summon executives for interviews. Besides a fine, a decision against Google would almost certainly require the search giant to change the practices deemed to be anticompetitive. In the EU, the search giant plans to address the antitrust accusations by giving consumers the ability to choose the browser and service engine that are preinstalled on their devices.

Google has faced regulatory scrutiny in other areas well. Earlier this year, the EU slapped the company with a $1.7 billion penalty after finding that it put up competitive obstacles for other online advertising brokers. Google signed contracts with website operators that regulators said limited the revenue opportunities available to competitors.  

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