Microblog service Twitter Inc. on Tuesday agreed to buy Indian marketing services provider ZipDial Mobile Solutions Pvt Ltd. to tap the potential of offline users and boost usage where mobile data is scarce. No price was given in the acquisition, but Tech Crunch said Twitter would pay between $30 million and $40 million to take ZipDial from its venture capital owners. ZipDial has tapped into more than 60 million users by allowing them to register for content or redeem coupons without going online. Users call a phone number that isn't answered but records their interest. The service is popular where data usage is low or spotty due to cost or inadequate network coverage. "We believe Twitter — a platform invented for SMS and rich in media — is a perfect match for India, a mobile-first country with a celebrated media heritage," Twitter's India unit said in a blog post. Bangalore-based ZipDial was founded in 2010 by Stanford graduate Valerie Wagoner, the company's CEO; COO Amiya Pathak and chairman Sanjay Swamy. The company is backed by Jungle Ventures, 500 Startups, Unilazer Ventures, Blue Ventures, Mumbai Angels and Times Internet Ltd., the online unit of India's biggest daily. ZipDial and Twitter have already cooperated to allow fans of Bollywood actors and religious leaders to subscribe to their Twitter feeds by making a corresponding unanswered call. The deal is the first for Twitter in India and will allow it to tap ZipDial's technology for other data-poor markets. Twitter is the latest Silicon Valley darling to take a liking to India. Earlier this month, Facebook Inc. agreed to buy India app analysis toolmaker Little Eye Labs, while Google Inc. bought security software maker Impermium, which had offices in Bangalore and California. Read more from:
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