LINE user base crosses 150M milestone

Mobile messaging service provider LINE has accrued another 50 million users since January this year to break past the 150 million user milestone, and this was helped by the increase in subscribers in the Middle East and Asia.

According to Yonhap News Agency's report Wednesday, NHN Corp said its free mobile messaging service has achieved 150 million downloads since its launch in June 2011. The company only reached the 100 million user mark in January this year, it added.

The fast growth was attributed to strong adoption in the Middle East and Asia, particularly after LINE had included features such as free voice calling and animated "stickers" in late 2011, the report noted.

NHN said it would continue its overseas expansion by boosting its marketing efforts in China, Europe and the United States. It also plans to increase the number of features on its mobile messaging platform by partnering other content providers, it added.

LINE is distributed by affiliate company NHN Japan, and is available in 11 languages. About 90 percent of LINE users are based overseas, with Japan, Thailand and Taiwan its three biggest markets, the report noted.

Company executive Simeon Cho said in April the company hoped to reel in three million downloads in Singapore by next year by positioning itself as a lifestyle app and differentiating from other utility mobile messaging apps such as WhatsApp.