Facebook takes on WhatsApp, Kakao Talk, WeChat and their friends

The news of the day yesterday was that Facebook is looking to buy WhatsApp, and today, well the angle has changed a bit; Facebook is building, and has launched what really looks like its own WhatsApp. A brief post on Facebook’s news page today announced the introduction of “A New Way to Sign Up for Messenger for Android”. It’s a WhatsApp (or a WeChat, or a Kakao Talk, or any of the other similar SMS killers) in that it essentially allows a user to sign up for the service using just their mobile number and share chats, pictures and other stuff with other users using the application.

So far this new way to sign up is available on the Android platform only but we’re sure other platforms will follow. The old messenger is available on the BlackBerry, iPhone and Android. According to a report on the development on TechCrunch, the app’s new functionality is only available for people in a limited number of countries that include India, Australia, Indonesia, Venezuela, and South Africa. Yes, primarily emerging markets. The app itself, like Facebook and the old Messenger, is free.

Whether the app will match WhatsApp’s great utility in lowering the cost of text communication is something that will become clear as it rolls out to more platforms. A key uptake factor in emerging markets will however undoubtedly be feature phones. Being available on entry level feature phones remains the only way to ensure massive uptake in emerging markets. Smartphones, despite the reports, are still not that big here. Also, in addition to most users not affording smartphones, the proposition for subscribers to not hand over all their earnings to mobile operators in SMS & call charges is too good to ignore.