Irancell, the second largest mobile operator in Iran, is going to invest in GAP, an instant messaging app.
GAP, which in Farsi means chatting, is a cloud-based messaging application which offers other social services, such as creating communities, file sharing and payment accessibility through banking payment gates.
Telegram, the Russian instant messaging app, has been blocked in Iran since May 2018. Telegram with nearly 40 million users in Iran is the most popular social media app in the country and despite being blocked, many users use VPNs (Virtual Private Network) to open the application.
The government has been trying to introduce local instant messaging apps, however they are not very much competitive with respect to Telegram.
GAP with nearly 2.5 million users, with a new investor, hopes to be able to make a difference now. Many micro businesses in Iran used Telegram to offer their products. Examples were to sell home-made cakes or handicrafts or books, etc.
Now, GAP tries to offer payment services and features for businesses to sell their products easier than in Telegram.
Irancell has not announced how much it will invest in GAP, although it says this joint venture gives the possibility to the startup to expand even in new areas, such as entering cryptocurrencies and crypto-payments.
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