[Corporate Announcement] LINE Enters Corporate Communications Market in Partnership with Works Mobile

2016.10.19 Corporate

Working Together to Release Corporate Communications Tool in Spring 2017

 

Tokyo, Japan – October 19, 2016 – LINE Corporation (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO: Takeshi Idezawa; hereinafter “LINE”) announces that it has concluded a business partnership agreement with Works Mobile Japan Corporation (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Hiroto Matsuhashi; hereinafter “Works Mobile”) on October 12, 2016 as it aims to officially enter into the business communications market and develop a dedicated communication tool for businesses. 

 

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1. Reasons for This Business Partnership Agreement

Under its corporate mission “CLOSING THE DISTANCE,” LINE Corporation is actively engaging in various initiatives to bring people closer to a wide variety of information, services, and products. Launched in June of 2011, the LINE messaging app has been tailored by LINE to satisfy the needs of users in each region, and now* boasts 157 million monthly active users (MAUs) in its four major markets—Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia—with 62 million MAUs in Japan alone. 

*as of June 3-, 2016

 

Works Mobile launched the Works Mobile app in January of 2016. A communication tool for businesses, the app supports multiple devices through cloud sync and delivers simple operability optimized for smartphones. It offers business chat and message boards functionality alongside a hierarchical address book with embedded email, calendar and file sharing. Works Mobile has earned support from companies of all sizes and across all industries with its vast assortment of security features—from administrator privileges to remote wipe and logging—and other functionality that businesses need to succeed. 

 

Through this business partnership agreement, LINE will build out from its experience in delivering communication tools for consumers and officially extend its reach into the corporate communications market. Specifically, LINE is collaborating with Works Mobile to develop a communication tool that combines elements of both the Works Mobile app and the LINE app, with a target release in Japan in spring of 2017.Through synergizing the LINE app’s ease of use and the Works Mobile app’s exceptional functionality for businesses, LINE hopes to propose a whole new way for companies to fulfill their communication needs.

 

2. Overview of Works Mobile Japan Corporation

CEO: Hiroto Matsuhashi

Headquarters: Shibuya Cross Tower 8F, 2-15-1 Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Founded: June 3, 2015

Capital: 1.24 billion yen

Business: Development of Works Mobile, a communication and collaboration tool for businesses