Kavin Bharti Mittal, founder of Indian chat app Hike, pushed the benefits of Telegram and Signal over platforms owned by rival Facebook, as his company prepared to quit the messenger app business.

In a tweet Mittal said “global network effects” were too strong for India to sustain its own messenger service unless a ban was placed on Western companies.

He added services from Telegram and Signal were good and “have the right incentives (more aligned with consumers) unlike Facebook products.”

The comments come ahead of the switch-off of Hike StickerChat, which started life as Hike Messenger. It competed with the likes of WhatsApp in its home market of India and introduced a number of features the company is shifting into its continuing business lines.

Going forward, the company plans to focus on its Vibe by Hike closed community chat site and gaming service Rush by Hike.

Its messenger platform is set to close later this month, with users being given the opportunity to download existing data in the platform and transfer their emojis prior to closure.