WhatsApp will start charging businesses for customer replies beginning October 1, 2026, as Meta diversifies its per-message pricing model for companies using the WhatsApp Business Platform.
The significant update will affect businesses utilising the Business Platform/ API to communicate with customers at a bigger scale.
Users engaged with WhatsApp Messenger and businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app will remain unaffected.
Under the new system, businesses will pay for delivered messages based on the recipient’s country and message category. In Nigeria, for example, a chargeable utility message will cost around $0.0101 per message, while Kenya, South Africa and Egypt will have different rates.
Marketing messages will charge considerably more. Meta’s rate card lists approximate prices of $0.062 in Nigeria, $0.0248 in Kenya, $0.62 in South Africa and $0.0773 in Egypt.
The major move could raise costs for companies that depend on WhatsApp to provide customer service, payment confirmations, verification, and order related updates.
A business sending 500,000 chargeable messages in Nigeria could face roughly $5,050 in Meta fees, excluding extra charges from software providers.
The significant change comes after the Meta-owned WhatsApp’s transition to per-message pricing for business-initiated template messages in July 2025.
Previously, service replies within the 24-hour customer-service window received free treatment.
Meanwhile, Telecom Egypt has completed a trial using the 6 GHz spectrum for mobile services, achieving speeds of around 1.7 Gbps per user.
The trial could assist Egypt assess the band for future high-capacity mobile networks as data demand continues to grow.
In Kenya, authorities have also taken 14 people in custody in Nakuru over an alleged online bus-ticket scam involving cloned websites impersonating legitimate transport companies.
A report suggested police recovered mobile phones and SIM cards during the operation.
The case underscores increasing challenges around business messaging costs, next-generation connectivity and online fraud across Africa.
