Viber Hits 175 Million Users
Messaging startup Viber, which lets users of most smartphone platforms send free texts, calls and messages via its app, is continuing to ramp up its user-base. Speaking at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, CEO Talmon Marco announced the startup now has 175 million users.
Viber has been around since early 2011, but growing rapidly in the past 12 months. In December it passed 140 million users, saying it was adding new users at a rate of 400,000 per day. Back in September, it hit 100 million users, after hitting 70 million users in May and 50 million in February.
Viber application detects user’s phone number as his identifier and his phone address book as a contact list. Sending user’s address book to the server Viber application can check which contacts from the contact list have already been using Viber. After that a user has an opportunity to make free calls worldwide, send free text and photo messages with location-sharing including group messaging. At the moment Viber application is available for smartphones based on Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Blackberry, Symbian, S40 and Bada operating system software. Viber is a leader of social applications category in the Appstores in 30 countries.
The application is developed by the HTP resident Viber Media Company. The company was founded in March, 2012 for the purpose of development of the essential new IP – communication application based on various smartphone models.
More information: http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/26/skype-competitor-viber-hits-175-million-users-up-from-140-million-in-december/
