Hike has spread its wings in the messaging app market. The Indian messaging app company has acquired Zip Phone, a US based VoIP service provider. This is a big deal for the company as the CEO explained that Hike users have been requesting the free calls service technology. Hike and Zip phone have not disclosed any financial details so far.
Hike’s CEO said that “Zip phone’s technology will allow us to bring free voice calling to the market much faster. Incidentally, this is one of the top requested features from our users as well.” Hike plans to incorporate this feature in its messaging app.
Even with the over 35 million users, Hike hopes that more smartphone users will start using the app. Zip is accessible to many people as its available for both iOS and Android platforms and it uses Wi-Fi network to enable phone call.
Anuj Jain, the CEO for Zip Phone commented on the deal saying, “As a start up enthusiasts, I had been keeping a close eye on hike and its developments and I am excited to now be part of one of the biggest and fastest growing startups in the Indian internet space and finally, building for India.”
With over 90% user base from India, Hike claims it handles over 10 billion messages every month. The company claims that that last year it raised $65 million through funding led by Tiger Global.
Though the company is doing well mostly in its place of origin, it needs to gain a worldwide user base so as to compete with other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line, and WeChat. The acquisition of the new app could help it get more subscribers worldwide.
