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"Mobile operator Telef\u00F3nica has announced a partnership with\u00A0Line, the messaging service from Japan with over 300 million registered users. The deal is Line's first with an overseas carrier and gives Telef\u00F3nica\u00A0exclusive access to the new Line for Firefox OS app, which is only available to\u00A0the operator's customers\u00A0in\u00A0Venezuela, Peru, Spain, Colombia, Uruguay, Brasil and Mexico.\r\n\r\nIn addition, Telef\u00F3nica's will pre-install Line on future Firefox OS handsets that it launches, it plans to make Line for Firefox OS available\u00A0in more markets as it expands the availability of its phones to new countries.\r\n\r\nInterestingly, the partnership also includes &amp;quot;significant marketing campaigns&amp;quot; by both companies in Latin America, which could be a big win for Line, since\u00A0Telef\u00F3nica has a customer of 320 million across 24 different markets.\r\n\r\nFirefox OS is yet to make a dent on the global handset market but, with cheaper prices than high-end devices and an 'open' ecosystem, Telef\u00F3nica\u00A0is among a number of operators -- including Telenor, Deutsche Telekom and TIM\u00A0-- that hope it will be a hit in emerging markets, where users spend less on devices and carrier subsidization is not common.\r\n\r\nThe deal makes a lot of sense for Line, which has placed great emphasis on growth in Latin America. Last year, Line US CEO\u00A0Jeanie Han told us that the company shifted its focus on building its presence in the US to Latin America due to organic growth it had seen in the region.\r\n\r\n\u201CWe originally thought we\u2019d move in on the US, but then Latin America grew faster than we thought, and the timing there was more critical,\u201D Han said.\r\n\r\nLine isn't alone in focusing on Latin America though. Rival\u00A0WeChat, the chat app from China, recruited cult Argentine football star Lionel Messi to front its global campaign and boost its appeal in Latin America, while WhatsApp is also popular in that part of the world.\r\n\r\nThe deal with\u00A0Telef\u00F3nica is likely to boost Line's visibility but the competition remains fierce and Firefox OS is a small part of the market -- for now, at least. Now that it has its first international carrier deal in the bag, Line may well announce others, as it looks to replicate its success in Asia in other regions.\r\n\r\nImage via\u00A0DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/asia/2014/02/04/line-partners-telefonica-bring-message-app-firefox-os-devices-latin-america/>