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Meta's WhatsApp hikes international OTP charges; to affect Amazon, Google, Microsoft

IndianStartupNews · 7m

WhatsApp has updated its pricing strategy for international one-time passwords (OTPs) to increase revenue from its enterprise services. The platform has introduced a new category called 'authentication-international' messages, with a revised price of Rs 2.3 per message in India and Indonesia. This represents a 20-fold increase from their previous charges. Global companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, which used WhatsApp for cost-effective authentication, will now face higher costs for sending OTPs. The move highlights WhatsApp's strategic focus on the Indian market and the importance of the country in the enterprise messaging sector. The pricing debates between tech giants and Indian telecom operators continue over the definition of "international traffic" and associated SMS pricing.