Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom has opened an investigation into Meta Platforms over information the company provided about WhatsApp as part of a market review. Ofcom said the evidence available to it suggests Meta’s responses may not have been complete and accurate.
The investigation relates to Ofcom’s review of the wholesale market for business bulk SMS messages, which the regulator said are often used for appointment reminders and parcel delivery notifications. Ofcom said it requested information from Meta about WhatsApp Business services during that review.
What Ofcom is investigating
Ofcom said it is examining concerns about Meta’s compliance with statutory information requests linked to WhatsApp Business services. The regulator said it had asked Meta for a range of information about the WhatsApp Business service during its market review of business bulk SMS.
Ofcom’s statement said the available evidence suggests the information it received from Meta in response may not have been complete and accurate. Ofcom has framed the issue as one connected to the information provided for its market work on business bulk SMS.
The market review in question
Ofcom said it carried out a review of the wholesale market for business bulk SMS messages last year. Telecompaper described that review as taking place in 2025.
In describing that market, Ofcom highlighted common uses for business bulk SMS such as appointment reminders and parcel delivery notifications. The regulator has linked its investigation directly to information it received about WhatsApp in response to its requests during that review.
Meta and WhatsApp Business in the case
Ofcom has opened the investigation into Meta as the parent company of WhatsApp, with the information requests focused on WhatsApp Business services. The regulator’s concern, as described in its statements reported by these outlets, is whether Meta provided complete and accurate information when responding to Ofcom.
The investigation announcement is tied to Ofcom’s broader work reviewing the wholesale market for business bulk SMS. Ofcom has not, in the details provided in these reports, set out conclusions about the information’s accuracy, but said evidence suggests it may not have been complete and accurate.
