Google suspends Android licenses in Turkey following hefty fine
Google has suspended licenses for the use of its software on Android smart phones sold in Turkey. The decision came in light of a fine imposed on Google by Turkey's Competition Board in September 2018 in the sum of 93 million TL. This process could culminate in the company completely withdrawing from Turkey, according to local media reports.
Duvar English
Google has suspended licenses for the use of its software on Android smart phones sold in Turkey following a massive fine issued to the company last year.
The Habertürk daily reported that Android telephones purchased in Turkey after December 12 will not be licensed to use Google software such as Google Search, Google Play, Youtube, and Gmail, rendering these services unusable in Turkey on Android phones.
The decision came in light of a fine imposed on Google by Turkey's Competition Board in September 2018 in the sum of 93 million TL, which at the time amounted to roughly $15 million, on the grounds that the company had engaged in unfair competition involving sales of its programs in Turkey.
At the time, the Competition Board said the company was granted six months to make the changes to what it considered violations of its rules.
According to the report, this process could culminate in the company completely withdrawing from Turkey, which would result in huge losses for service providers and smart phone vendors in the country. 10-11 million cellular phones are sold annually, and 90 percent of these use Android software.