Hike launches free group calling, can connect 100 people

Hike Messenger, which is headed by Kavin Mittal, son of telecom czar Sunil Mittal, on Friday launched free group calling with a facility of connecting up to 100 people. The calling feature, which will work over 4G and wi-fi to begin with is available on Android currently while iOS and Windows will be followed by end of the year, the company said in a statement. Voice calling through over-the-top (OTT) players has been a subject of debate between telecom operators and internet companies.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) in its report on net neutrality has proposed to bring voice calls offered by OTT players under its regulation, a move opposed by supporters of net neutrality. With the introduction of group calling, Hike has also dropped the beta tag on VoIP (voice over Internet) officially rolling out the feature, the statement added. "Now with the tap of a single button, you can connect up to 100 people in one call.

It's that simple. No more pins, no more dial in numbers and no more putting people on hold. Making a group call has never been this easy," hike messenger founder and CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal said.

Consumers can get this feature by upgrading to the latest version of hike, which is available on the Google Play Store starting today. The company said group calling has been launched keeping in mind the needs of students and families who love to chat in groups as well as small executive teams whose job demands being in sync with their large teams while on the move. Launched in December 2012, hike has over 35 million users and has raised USD 86 million from Tiger Global and BSB till date.