Telecom Revolt on International Authentication Messages: The WhatsApp Pricing Change

Reaching millions of people with just a single click, the world has grown digitally. WhatsApp has become the first-ever choice for businesses to connect with their people all over the world. With millions of WhatsApp users, businesses have a great option to choose WhatsApp for their customer interaction and send authentication messages.

With the increasing popularity of WhatsApp in the business world, a recent change in WhatsApp pricing for authentication messages has shown a significant change in the telecom industry.

Telecom Company Revolt

Giant telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea disagreed on the pricing of WhatsApp’s international authentication messages In comparison with SMS, WhatsApp had lower pricing, and telecom companies demanded to increase the pricing to an international rate as they lost many clients due to high pricing changes.

Let's Have a Quick Go-Through of WhatsApp Capping 2024

WhatsApp announced its capping regulation set for 2024. This regulation limits the number of promotional messages businesses can send via WhatsApp. The motto behind this regulation is to reduce spam and enhance the user experience.

The capping is seen as a positive step toward a more user-friendly platform; this also means that businesses now have fewer opportunities to engage with customers. These rules are making businesses question how to use WhatsApp for communication, especially in light of the growing expense of authenticating messages.

Learn more in detail about WhatsApp Capping 2024 in our blog.

Understanding International Rates for WhatsApp Authentication Messages

Special international rates are set for WhatsApp authentication messages. If the user starts an authentication chat via WhatsApp, the user whose phone number is from one of these countries will be charged the international rate for the country if:

• Businesses are eligible for these international rates.
• Businesses are located in different countries from users.
• The conversation started after the international rate for the country became active.

For example, if your business is established in India and you start the conversation chat with a WhatsApp user from India itself, then you won't be charged the international rate since the messages are sent from the same country.

But if your business is in India and you chat with someone in the UAE, you will be charged the international rate under the criteria mentioned above.

The cost of the WhatsApp Business API is divided as follows:

• Pay what you use: Anantya.ai provides clear WhatsApp API pricing that doesn't overcharge you.
• Selecting your WhatsApp Business API plan: Involves input from the sales, support, and marketing departments!

Here’s how different departments can plan their API usage:

• Sales: Get the number of leads you can interact with.
• Support: How many inquiries for customer service do you answer each month?
• Marketing: What number of focused ads and promotions are you planning to conduct?

Per-chat Fees: Recognize how the price may change depending on the nature of the chat and the user's location.

View a detailed example of the regional WhatsApp discussion fees as reported by Meta.

International WhatsApp Business API Pricing Structure

Businesses now have an effective means of connecting with clients worldwide, thanks to WhatsApp Business API. However, the cost of the WhatsApp Business API varies, based on where you are located. Here is a summary of some significant location’s variations:

WhatsApp Business API Pricing in India

Conversation Categories: India classifies conversations into four categories: service, marketing, utility, and authentication, just as in other regions.

Free care quota: Businesses in India may focus on customer care and engagement without worrying about pressing financial commitments thanks to WhatsApp's generous offer of 1000 free talks per month.

Location-Based Pricing: In addition to the free quota, a user's location inside India determines the conversation fees for marketing, utilities, and authentication categories.

Country	Currency	Country Code	Marketing	Utility	Authentication	Authentication International	Service
India	$US	91	0.0118	0.0015	0.0015	0.0280	0.0044

Note: The prices mentioned above are in US dollars, so the pricing can differ according to the specific country's currency.

WhatsApp Business API Pricing in UAE

Conversation Types: Using the same conversation category system as India, UAE provides free service interactions for some categories and tiered payment for others.

Regional Variations: Depending on the particular region in which the user resides, conversation charges within UAE may somewhat vary.

International Communication: When communicating with users outside of the United Arab Emirates, businesses may be charged more for using WhatsApp Business.

Country	Currency	Country Code	Marketing	Utility	Authentication	Authentication International	Service
UAE	$US	971	0.0422	0.0173	0.0196	n/a	0.0209

Note: The prices mentioned above are in US dollars, so the pricing can differ according to the specific country's currency.

WhatsApp Business API Pricing KSA

Category Focus: With a free allotment of 1000 talks, India highlights service discussions, much like other areas.

Cost Structure: In addition to the free service cap, the kind of message (marketing, utility, etc.) and the user's location inside KSA affects WhatsApp Business API’s discussion fees.

Language Considerations: Companies that speak Arabic may find their pricing structures change differently from those of companies that speak English as their primary language.

Country	Currency	Country Code	Marketing	Utility	Authentication	Authentication International	Service
KSA	$US	966	0.0501	0.0127	0.0249	n/a	0.0215

Note: The prices mentioned above are in US dollars, so the pricing can differ according to the specific country's currency.

Conclusion

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, three of the largest telecom companies in India, have taken action against WhatsApp's low international authentication message rates, claiming that companies avoid using regular SMS networks, resulting in a huge loss of income.

Companies like Amazon and Microsoft have been accused by the Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) of leveraging WhatsApp for seamless business communication, which is against telecom regulations and affects other income.

Businesses now have restrictions on promotional messages sent by WhatsApp due to new WhatsApp Capping 2024 limiting requirements, which further complicates their marketing plans. These modifications highlight how important it is for the companies to comprehend the global price structure and adjust to the new WhatsApp communication standards.