Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom said on Friday it had opened an investigation into Meta Platforms over information the company provided relating to WhatsApp for one of its market reviews.
The regulator said the probe links to work it carried out last year on the wholesale market for business bulk SMS messages.
These services are widely used by companies to send high volumes of customer alerts, including appointment reminders and parcel delivery notifications.
Ofcom said the available evidence suggests the information it received from Meta may not have been complete and accurate.
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Ofcom said it is investigating whether Meta’s response to an information request met expected standards during the regulator’s market review process.
The watchdog said the review focused on the wholesale market for business bulk SMS messages, which typically involve automated updates sent at scale to customers.
The regulator did not specify what information it believes may have been missing or incorrect, but said the issue relates to WhatsApp.
The probe highlights how regulators rely on accurate data from major firms when assessing competitive conditions in communications markets, especially as platforms such as WhatsApp play a growing role in business messaging.
How business bulk SMS fits into UK communications markets
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Business bulk SMS remains a key tool for organisations that need to deliver time-sensitive updates directly to customers.
The service is commonly used across sectors such as healthcare, logistics, retail, and financial services.
Unlike personal texts, these messages are usually sent through intermediaries that handle high-volume delivery, routing, and wholesale access.
Ofcom’s market review examined how the wholesale side of this ecosystem operates, and how services are supplied to business users.
Ofcom said the review was carried out last year. It added that its investigation concerns Meta’s information submission linked to WhatsApp as part of that work.
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The UK probe comes as Meta faces broader regulatory scrutiny across Europe, including investigations and decisions tied to advertising, competition, and AI-related platform changes.
In late November, a Spanish court ordered Meta to pay €479 million to a group of publishers, after finding the company breached EU rules by processing personal data without valid consent to support behavioural advertising.
The ruling covered the period from May 2018 to August 2023 and is subject to appeal.
Meta has also been under pressure in the European Union over its advertising model.
In Italy, the competition watchdog expanded a probe into Meta in late November, focusing on its AI integration in WhatsApp and whether WhatsApp Business changes could restrict rival AI chatbots.
In December, the European Commission said Meta committed to giving users a clearer choice around how their data is used for advertising on Facebook and Instagram, following a compliance push under the Digital Markets Act.
The new options are expected to roll out from January 2026.
Separately, the European Commission has been preparing a competition probe into Meta’s integration of AI features into WhatsApp, according to reports.
Regulators have been examining whether Meta’s policies could restrict access for rival AI providers, potentially strengthening Meta’s position inside the messaging platform.
