Facebook has no near-term plan to monetise WhatsApp, says Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook, which closed its acquisition of mobile messaging app WhatsApp on Monday, has no near-term plan to make money from the service, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday.

Zuckerberg, who is visiting the country to participate in an event to boost Internet usage, did not give more details.

Facebook's final WhatsApp acquisition price tag rose to roughly US $22 billion, an additional US $3 billion, because of the increased value of the social networking company's stock in recent months.

WhatsApp works across different types of phones, across borders, and without advertising. The app only charges a 99 cent annual subscription fee, which is waived for the first year.

(Reuters)