Ukrainian representative office of Viber messenger becomes resident of Diia.

The Ukrainian representative office of the Japanese giant Rakuten, which owns one of the most popular messengers in the world - Viber, has become a resident of Diia.City, said Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology - Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

"The Ukrainian representative office of one of the most popular messengers in the world has become a resident of Diia.City. More than a billion people around the world use Viber, which is owned by the Japanese technology giant Rakuten," Fedorov wrote on Telegram on Wednesday.

He emphasized that the decision to join the tax regime for the IT sector in Ukraine of such a large company as Rakuten is another step towards its expansion. This step sends a strong signal to other companies that it is possible and necessary to develop in the country even during a war.

Ukraine is an important market for Rakuten Viber. According to its own data, 98% of Ukrainians with smartphones use the Viber app.

The company opened an office in Ukraine at the beginning of the year. Earlier, three of its subcompanies began operating in the country - Rakuten Viber, Rakuten Advertising and Rakuten Rewards. They have development and marketing teams in Kyiv and Odesa.

"Rakuten Viber is actively involved in the development of the Ukrainian digital ecosystem, the company is confident that Diia.City creates all the opportunities for this. I am glad that technology leaders from all over the world choose Diia.City. We managed to create a cool project that is already attracting top innovators to Ukraine," Fedorov wrote.

Earlier it was reported that Rakuten Viber together with the largest mobile operator in Ukraine Kyivstar is implementing a pilot in the construction of Open RAN - 4G or 5G technologies. As part of the project, the companies plan to conduct laboratory tests in two small Ukrainian cities.