Tech Chaitu

Homegrown chat application Hike messenger on Wednesday said it will offer free voice calls to its users over 2G, 3G and wi-fi services across the globe in over 200 countries. The introduction of voice calls has come within a month of Hike making its first acquisition - a free calling app Zip Phone. The free voice calling feature has been launched in beta on Android, which contributes to over 90 per cent of its user base whereas the iOS and Windows versions are slated to release by the end of this quarter, the company said in a statement. The free voice calling feature by hike comes at a time when mobile operators are demanding that over-the-top (OTT) players like Hike, WhatsApp, Line, Skype among others should be brought under regulation. OTT players ride VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol to let their users make free calls through the Internet. Sectoral regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has already begun the pre-consultation process regarding OTT players. Bharti Airt

The smartphone era has taken over the telecom industry completely, and the biggest example of it is the popularity of instant messaging services. Whatsapp, Hike, and We Chat are some of the most popular IMs due to their unique features and user experience. After Facebook Messenger, and Viber, couples of other companies are also trying to introduce voice call feature in their apps, Hike grabs the first place among those companies. According to reports, Hike is looking forward to adding the voice call feature in its mobile application. Even though there were rumors for very long time about Hike adding the voice call feature in its app, but it was confirmed some time back after it bought Zip Phone; a US-based Voice Calling Company. The company has not yet publically spoken about the deal amount and other details. Zip Phone is a US based company, which was founded by Anuj Jain some time back. It is a one man company, where he takes care of all the necessary activities by himself. Th