WeChat Will Remain Free, Tencent Chairman Says

(Beijing) – WeChat will remain free to users, the chairman of Tencent Holdings Ltd. says, despite speculation that the country's Big Three telecoms carriers would force it to charge.

Ma Huateng said at an Internet industry conference on May 7 that his company had reached agreements with telecom operators to coordinate WeChat – the popular voice and text messaging service – and traditional mobile services. Ma did not provide details on the agreement, but said WeChat would remain free.