TPG Telecom has agreed not to renew its agreement with Google. Google’s search engine was set as the default on Android devices sold by the telecom provider. This decision comes as part of a broader investigation into Google’s practices by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
TPG Telecom Also Had a Google Search Deal
The agreement, formalized through a court-enforceable undertaking. It aligns with similar decisions made by other major Australian telecom providers, Telstra and Optus. They both recently announced they would not renew their own agreements with Google.
The ACCC revealed that TPG Telecom’s deal with Google has been in place since at least 2018. Under this arrangement, Google’s search services were exclusively pre-installed as the default search engine on Android devices supplied by TPG.
TPG has fully cooperated with the ACCC’s investigation. “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,” said ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver in a statement.
With this development, all three major mobile network operators in Australia have responded to the ACCC’s competition concerns by offering similar undertakings. However, the ACCC noted that its investigations into Google’s practices are ongoing.
The agreements with telecom providers like TPG contributed to Google maintaining a dominant 98% market share in search services in Australia over the three years leading up to July 2024, with competitors such as Microsoft’s Bing holding only small shares of the market.
