Tencent's QQ IM triples Skype's dialtone

Tencent Holdings (SEHK 700) published their 2008 financials last week. Among the highlights: stats we can compare with Skype. QQ has more than twice as many registered accounts and more than three times Skype's simultaneous online users. While QQ has many rich instant messaging features, it's not a voice platform. QQ has grown about ten percent quarter over quarter in peak activity since the end of 2008-Q3 when we reported they had 45 million simultaneous online.

For the 16-day period ended 31 December 2008 (in millions), Tencent reported:

Registered IM user accounts (at end of period)	891.9	403
Active user accounts (at end of period)	376.6	NA
Peak simultaneous online user accounts (for the quarter)	49.7	15
Average daily user hours	710.9	NA
Average daily messages(1)	4,282.6	NA

(1) Average daily messages include messages exchanged between PCs only and exclude messages exchanged with mobile handsets.

Nearly all of QQ's users are Chinese readers and speakers. China has an Internet population of 298 million people, Taiwan adds another 15 million.

How can QQ have more registered and active accounts than people who have Internet? China's enormous cybersalon culture. Some estimates say China has as many as 300 thousand Internet cafés of 100 seats or more, about half unlicensed. So for each person with home or work Internet connection, another person drops by a local Internet café.

QQ is bigger and different than Skype and remains one of Skype's biggest rivals in Skype's biggest market.

tags: skype, qq, tencent, stats, metrics, performance, financials, china, cn, tw, taiwan, chinese, dialtone, accounts

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