Brussels is preparing to slap Google with another fine just months after a record $2.4bn penalty for anti-competitive behaviour when it was found to favour its own shopping services in search results.
A separate antitrust investigation, this time involving its Adsense product, is expected to be wrapped up in the coming weeks with a fresh fine expected.
But a third investigation by Europe's competition regulator into Google's Android operating system has been kicked into next year, the Telegraph reports.
Read more: EU competition chief welcomes “renewed” antitrust debate in Washington
Conclusions to both investigations had been expected before the end of the year.
Google is appealing against the record shopping search fine but has implemented new arrangements for displaying shopping search results to avoid further penalties.
In the adsense case, the EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager last year issued what's known as a statement of objectives outlining how it believes it protected its dominant position in online search advertising. It said it believes Google reduced choice by preventing third-party websites from sourcing search ads from competitors to Google.
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Analysts believe a fine in the Android case, which was also laid out by the European Commission last year, could surpass $6bn. According to the newspaper report, the EC is doubling down on due diligence that will take it into next year.
Vestager has been firm with US tech titans, moving quickly on several cases under her watch. However, she was struck a blow in September after a decade-long battle resulted in Intel succeeding in its appeal against a then record fine handed down in 2009. The case was referred back to a lower court by the European Court of Justice to be heard again.
Google had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
