Mexico antitrust body says Google cannot impose use of Android on mobile device manufacturers

MEXICO ⁠CITY, Dec 18 (Reuters) – Mexico’s ⁠antitrust commission said on Thursday it had resolved ⁠a case over a lack of competition in ​the mobile operating system market stemming ‍from business practices related to Android.

* As part of the ruling, the commission acceptedcommitments from Google ​to remove contractual restrictions thathad prevented mobile device manufacturers from freely producingand distributing devices using ​operating systems other thanAndroid. * The decision follows similar ⁠remedies accepted byantitrust authorities in ‌other countries over Google’s Androidcontracts, the statement said. * Device ⁠manufacturers will gain more ​freedom to designand sell products with ‌alternative operating systems,potentially reducing costs tied to different technologyconfigurations. * Software developers ‍will benefit from a more openecosystem that encourages innovation and new applications, thecommission said. * The commission said it will monitor compliance andexercise its authority in digital markets to investigatepractices that restrict consumer choice.

(Reporting ⁠by Raul Cortes ‌and Natalia ⁠Siniawski)