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A group of companies led by Microsoft have called on European authorities to launch an antitrust investigation into Googles dominance of mobile Internet usage on smartphones.

The FairSearch initiative of 17 companies which includes Microsoft, Nokia and Oracle claims Google is acting unfairly by giving away its Android operating system to mobile device companies on the condition that the U.S. online giants own software applications like YouTube and Google Maps are installed and prominently displayed.

Google is using its Android mobile operating system as a Trojan horse to deceive partners, monopolize the mobile marketplace and control consumer data, said Thomas Vinje, the groups Brussels-based lawyer.

Android operating systems are installed on about 70 per cent of new smartphones, according to analyst estimates, handing Google the largest market share worldwide, followed by Apples iOS platform. Systems from BlackBerry, Microsoft and others trail far behind.

Googles predatory distribution of Android at below-cost makes it difficult for other providers of operating systems to recoup investments in competing with Googles dominant mobile platform, FairSearch said in a statement.

The European Commission, the 27-nation blocs executive arm and antitrust authority, must at some point decide whether to take up the case or drop it. A spokesman confirmed the complaint had been received.

Google Inc., based in Mountain View, Calif., did not address the complaints charges in detail. We continue to work co-operatively with the European Commission, said Google spokesman, Al Verney.

The U.S. company is already under investigation by Brussels for practices related to its dominance of online search and advertising markets.

That complaint, launched in 2010, alleges Google unfairly favours its own services in its Internet search results, which enjoy a near-monopoly in Europe. Google has proposed a list of remedies to address the Commissions concerns to achieve a settlement. The Commission is currently examining the proposed changes.

We have received some proposals by Google and we will soon launch a market test of the proposed remedies, said Antoine Colombani, a spokesman for EU Competition Comissioner Joaquin Almunia. He declined to speculate on when the investigation would be concluded.

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Google antitrust complaint calls free Android mobile software a 'Trojan horse'