Google Play Store to Face New, Organized Competition

Google Play, the platform from which Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL)(NASDAQ: GOOG) division Google sells apps and other digital content, hasn't faced any true threat to its distant-second-place position within an app market led by iPhone maker Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). But that could be changing soon. Reuters reported on Thursday that Chinese technology companies Xiaomi (SEHK: 1810), Huawei Technologies, Oppo, and Vivo are teaming up to tackle their most accessible rival on the app store front.

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The consortium is calling itself the Global Developer Service Alliance (GDSA), and unites four organizations that each bring a unique attribute to the table. Xiaomi, for example, has developed a strong following in India. The four members of the alliance do well enough in China, where Google Play is banned. By working together, though, the group hopes to displace Google Play by targeting markets like India, Indonesia, and Russia first. There's nothing prohibiting the GDSA from taking aim at Google Play closer to home, however, though politics could potentially become a factor. Huawei's access to Alphabet's intellectual property was cut off last year as part of a sweeping ban on sales of certain technology to Chinese companies.

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Source Fool.com