Viber, maker of the instant messaging and Voice over IP (VoIP) app of the same name, announced that it has closed its Vietnam office and moved its operations to the Philippines.
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Nguyen Dang Quynh Anh, director of Viber Vietnam, said that the new office will service Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar, reports Vietnam Net.
“We have finished our mission of setting up the foundation for Viber in Vietnam’s OTT market,” said Anh, adding, “OTT itself is a multi-national foundation and it is not a product for an individual country.”
Viber opened its first and only Vietnam office in January 2014 and has around 23 million total users in the country.
While this number sounds impressive, a source working for a local telecom told Thanh Nien that the service only has five million active users in the country and its exit has more to do with poor performance than a shift in operating strategy.
Unlike other VoIP apps in Vietnam, Viber doesn't plan on integrating with a traditional telecom or internet service providers, a decision that could leave it out in the cold:
“Industry insiders said Viber leaving Vietnam might be related to a rule under discussion that requires it to install servers in Vietnam or sign commercial deals with a local telecommunication firm in order to provide chargeable services such as Viber Out,” wrote Thanh Nien.
Local VoIP app, Zalo currently leads the market with over 30 million users, of which around 18 million are active according to TechinAsia.
[Photo via Sam Azgor]
