Google finds an ally in BT in EU Android antitrust case

BT fears that EU action against Google over Android will benefit Apple

Telecoms giant BT is supporting Google in its antitrust battle with the European Commission.

It comes after the Commission charged Google last year, claiming that it was abusing a monopoly around the free Android operating system.

The Commission claims that Google effectively forces smartphone and tablet makers to bundle its apps with Android, preventing competing apps from gaining traction.

Google also pays phone makers and telecoms operators to install only the company's search app on phones, the Commission said at the time.

But Google has found an ally in BT which, according to a report in The Telegraph, is siding with Google because it is concerned that a weakened Android platform would hand an unfair advantage to Apple in the market.

The issue concerns BT following its £12.5bn acquisition of EE, completed a year ago.

A BT spokesperson confirmed the move to Computing in a statement: "We can confirm that our legal team has written to the European Commission regarding their investigation.

"We told them BT is free to pre-install its own or third-party apps on devices alongside pre-loaded Google apps. We also said that, as an app provider, we value the ongoing stability and compatibility of operating systems, whether they are 'open source' or 'closed source'. This is why we welcome anti-fragmentation initiatives such as Google's."

Google has yet to comment but the company has long denied any wrongdoing, and last year also rejected the charges claiming that the case is a danger to open source software and its developers.

The firm argues that open source Android software has stimulated innovation and increased choice for consumers, and means that manufacturers don't have to build or buy expensive operating systems.

"No manufacturer is obliged to preload any Google apps on an Android phone. But we do offer manufacturers a suite of apps so that when you buy a new phone you can access a familiar set of basic services," Google general counsel Kent Walker said in November.

"Android's competitors, including Apple's iPhone and Microsoft's Windows Phone, not only do the same, but allow much less choice in the apps that come with their phones."