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Authorities in China have approved Google Inc.'s bid to buy phone maker Motorola Mobility , clearing the way for the $12.5 billion deal to close early next week.
But Chinese regulators attached a big condition: That Google's Android operating system for mobile devices remain available to all at no cost for the next five years.
The approval brings the Internet search giant closer to sealing its biggest acquisition ever. Buying Motorola allows Google to expand into manufacturing phones, tablet computers and other consumer devices for the first time. The deal also gives Google access to more than 17,000 Motorola patents.
The Chinese government approved the deal on Saturday, Google spokeswoman Niki Fenwick said. "We look forward to closing the deal," she said.
The deal was announced last August and had received all necessary regulatory approvals except in China, where Google's government relations have been strained since it moved its search engine out of the country two years ago in a dispute over censorship and computer security.
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