Mobile messaging and calling app LINE said on Friday that it has 30 million registered users in India, reports The Economic Times . The company hasn't disclosed the number of active users it has, but, as of October 9th 2014, 170 million of its 560 million global users were active. That's approximately 30.35% of its base. The company had decided against an IPO earlier this year. With the recently launched international calling facility called LINE Call, the company expects to gain more even more foothold in the Indian market because of the low call rates it offers for international calls, comparable to those offered by Skype and Viber. It's worth noting that LINE is also considering partnering with Indian telecom service providers to push its app into the Indian market. LINE has collaborated with Groupon India to provide daily deals via its app, and Damandeep Singh Soni, head of India business development at LINE told The Economic Times that it is looking at more tie-ups. At the time of filing this report, LINE was at number 23 in India, among top grossing Android apps on the play store. The company’s major competitors in the Indian market are Whatsapp with 65 million active users in India already; Hike, with 20 million registered users and Viber with 15 million registered users as of February this year. Unlike Whatsapp that does not offer in-app purchases yet, LINE monetizes by offering sticker purchases and charging celebrities and brands for official accounts.
