During the half-life, WhatsApp is usually busy due to the introduction of new features. But at the end of the month the Meta-owned instant messaging platform made tech news headlines for another reason. In fact, WhatsApp recently introduced a new category for International One-Time Passwords or OTPs, making the cost of sending business messages (read business messages) higher than ever in India. On the other hand, this move is expected to increase the company's own income. But how much has WhatsApp increased the charge? According to a report by the Economics Times (ET), the cost of international business messages has gone up by 20 times – leaving the pockets of those doing business over SMS a little empty.
But ordinary WhatsApp users can use the platform as before, without having to pay a single rupee for chatting-calling or file sharing.
How much money has WhatsApp charged for SMS?
Earlier, telecom companies used to charge 0.12 paise per message for sending local SMS, while each international message was charged at 4.13 paise. In this case, WhatsApp used to charge 0.11 paisa per international SMS. But now that amount has been hiked – as per the new rules, per SMS will now be Rs 2.3.
However, it is not a matter of counting this money now, as this rule will be effective from June 1. And once launched, its impact will be visible to businesses in both India and Indonesia. Meanwhile, not only WhatsApp, but also other international companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft are expected to increase their communication budget after their new decision. Because international message verification through WhatsApp was relatively cheap until now, e-commerce platforms were using WhatsApp as a verification and message tool. Telecom companies like Airtel, Jio were also facing losses.
Bird's eye in terms of profit, why?
India is a big market for various foreign companies. Now the country is witnessing rapid growth in messaging enterprises, which have recorded a market share of around Rs 7,600 crore. Basically their growth from messages like SMS, push messages, OTP verification, app login, financial transactions, service delivery. Because people here are getting used to digital life.
