Telegram: Telegram Premium paid subscription costs in India more than halved

Telegram has more than halved its monthly subscription fees in India, just months after launching its premium subscription service, as it seeks to cash in on its massive user base in one of its largest markets. In a message to Indian users on Saturday, Telegram said it is offering subscriptions at a discount in India. Users will now pay 179 Indian rupees ($2.2) a month, down from 469 Indian rupees ($5.74) previously.

The monthly subscription fee for the app is called Telegram Premium, and typically ranges between $4.99 and $6 in other markets.

Telegram said users who did not receive the message will also see the new prices in the settings section of the app.

India is one of Telegram's largest markets. The messaging app has amassed more than 120 million monthly active users in India, according to analytics firm data.ai. That number makes the app the second most popular of its kind in India, behind WhatsApp, which has attracted more than 500 million users in the South Asian market.

Telegram, which claims to have amassed more than 700 million monthly active users worldwide, launched an optional subscription service in June this year, hoping that the move would improve its financial situation and continue to support the free service. Premium customers get a range of additional features, such as the ability to follow up to 1,000 channels, send larger files (4GB) and faster download speeds.

The Dubai-based company joins a list of global tech firms offering services at lower prices in India, with Apple's Music app charging $1.20 for an individual monthly plan in the country, while Netflix's offerings start at as low as $1.83 in the country. India's just-launched 5G communications network has tariffs on par with 4G and is also the cheapest in the world.

From cnBeta.COM