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"Japanese messaging app Line revealed last month its plans for a\u00A0call service designed to let users \u201Cmake low-cost calls to landlines and mobile phones domestically and internationally,&amp;quot; letting\u00A0Line users call people who don\u2019t use the chat app, with prices lower than those offered on\u00A0landlines and mobile carriers, thus\u00A0essentially taking on Skype.\n\nNow the service, Line Call,\u00A0is live on\u00A0Android devices in\u00A0Columbia, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, and the US.\u00A0\u00A0Line users can choose between the existing free call service to other Line users, or make low-cost calls to any other number using Line Call. The company says an iPhone version is planned for the near future, while other countries will be added &amp;quot;once tests for call quality have been passed.&amp;quot; A look at the price table shows a comprehensive list of regions that Line Call will most likely be rolled out to, including China.\n\n\n\nUsers can choose either to purchase call credit, take up monthly plans, or swap their Line coins for call credit. They can charge their call credit from the Android app or the Line Web store.\n\nLine Call touts itself as being cheaper than competing services (the table below shows service rates for domestic calls in Japan per minute). A quick check on Skype shows that it costs \u00A56.67 per minute for a 30-day plan that allows calls to Japan landlines and mobile devices for up to 60 minutes, while a landline-only plan costs \u00A52.17 per minute.\n\n\n\nAs the messaging app war heats up, Line is making its move first to differentiate itself from its competitors. It is also moving into Skype's space -- and the Microsoft-owned service may have cause to feel threatened, given that\u00A0Line claims 360 million registered global users.\n\nHowever, WhatsApp is soon to follow. Following\u00A0WhatsApp's acquisition by Facebook in a\u00A0deal worth as much as $19 billion\u00A0\u2013 WhatsApp founder Jan Koum revealed that voice calling will be\u00A0added\u00A0to the platform during Q2 2014."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/apps/2014/03/17/messaging-app-line-launches-its-cheap-call-service-on-android-in-8-countries-taking-on-skype/>