The Chinese operator is potentially facing a ban in India due to the government’s security concerns. WeChat is a similar service to WhatsApp and BlackBerry Messenger, and allows users to exchange text, pictures or voice messages via Internet.
Tencent spokesperson, Hu Chunnan, told state-run Global Times Beijing that the messaging platform WeChat, a product that Tencent provides to its overseas users, has always complied with all relevant local laws and regulations.
The Global Times quoted an unnamed Indian official as saying that the issue will be reviewed before a final decision is taken on whether or not to block access to such services like WeChat. “But it is too premature to say whether this application will be banned,” the official is claimed to have said.
WeChat is a very popular application in China with more than 300 million users since it was launched in 2011. According to reports the company plans to charge a nominal fee for its usage.
An unidentified Indian Telecom Department of Telecom official quoted that “whenever Chinese telecommunications companies come into the fray in India, there is always a bit of controversy following it”. Another unnamed official from India’s Department of Commerce stated that there were concerns about Chinese competition in the Indian market. Chinese Telecom firms like Huawei and ZTE also faced similar problems when they forayed in the Indian Market which were later resolved.
Source: ET