NHN Japan Corporation has announced that its popular free-calling and free-messaging app 'LINE' continued to grow at an impressive rate as the number of its registered users exceeded 60 million* worldwide. NHN Japan said its focus was now concentrated on strengthening alliances with network operators, and increasing the amount of content on the LINE platform.

-Graph showing registered user numbers

http://naverland.naver.jp/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/pressline6000.gif

As a smartphone app used in over 230 countries worldwide, LINE allows its users to enjoy free calls and messages to one another, both nationally and internationally, regardless of which mobile network provider they are using.

Even after exceeding the 50 million mark on July 26 earlier this year, user numbers have been growing at a staggering rate of 5 million every 3 weeks. By making LINE available on a wider range of OS and devices, such as with the introduction of LINE for BlackBerry on August 17, and by participating in joint promotional and advertising campaigns with device manufacturers and network operators in Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia, NHN Japan believe such actions have contributed directly to these statistics.

Furthermore, NHN Japan has been busy pushing ahead with the commercialization of LINE as a platform, announcing a healthy increase in revenue regarding paid-for content, including its 'Sticker Shop**' which generated a profit of over 300 million yen (over USD3.8million) in August alone.

With their target of achieving 100 million users within 2012, NHN Japan has confirmed that it will begin promoting LINE overseas in North America and China, as well as continuing their collaboration with network operators and increasing the content available to their users on the LINE platform.

* Total download figures are for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry App, Windows Phones and Feature Phones combined.

** Sticker Shop sells stickers to users which can be used in chat-rooms.

About NHN Japan Corporation

NHN Japan is the local affiliate of Korea's premier Internet company, NHN Corporation. NHN Japan is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, with Akira Morikawa as CEO.

About LINE (http://line.naver.jp/en)

LINE is a free-calling and free-messaging app, operated and owned by NHN Japan Corporation.