17 Jan , 2023 By : Monika Singh
The mobile phone’s operating system market is currently ruled by two majors- Android and iOS. This could soon change in India as the government is readying an indigenous version of operating system for mobile phones. According to a report from Business Standard, the government is working on a new project named ‘IndOS’- a homegrown mobile operating system to compete against Apple and Google in the OS market.
“India is one of the largest mobile device markets in the globe. Our objective is to create a secure Indian mobile operating system that could also create choices and competition for Android’s dominance in the Indian market and a smaller share of iOS,” Business Standard quotes a senior government official in its report.
India’s phone market consists of smartphones and featurephones. Google accounts for 97 per cent of the mobile operating system market while Apple has a very small share. With IndOS, the government hopes to end the dominance of Apple and Google in the market. As per the report, the OEMs have lauded the move to have country’s own OS for mobile phones.
This news comes at a time when Google is being criticised by the government for exploiting its position in Android market. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has fined Alphabet- the parent company of Google for exploiting its dominant position in the Android market and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps, according to a Reuters report. CCI imposed a fine of $161 million on Google in October last year for exploiting its dominant position in Android and abusing its power through Play Store.
Google has said that CCI’s new ruling will lead to smartphones becoming more expensive as the cost of app developers, equipment makers, and eventually consumers may increase. It also fears that the new antitrust ruling could also cause security threats to users.
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