Ofcom has fined Meta £450,000 following an investigation that showed requested information supplied regarding WhatsApp Business may not have been accurate or complete.

Back in January 2026, the media regulator opened an investigation into Meta’s WhatApp Business after finding that information it provided as part of an SMS review might not have been accurate.

The original Ofcom investigation focussed on wholesale prices of automated text (SMS) that were sent from applications to customers often sent automatically from large firms as part of appointment or payment confirmations.

The investigation found that the cost for terminating wholesale contracts for these bulk business messaging services had jumped, and that SMS providers had significant market power in this area, which the regulator determined meant they had “incentive to increase their termination prices to an exessively high level”.

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Ofcom was able to reach a voluntary agreement with the UK’s major telecoms providers to stabilise prices in this area, and then asked for information from WhatsApp Business to better understand alternative message provider’s roles in SMS bulk services pricing.

While Meta did provide information, Ofcom found that the information provided “contained several errors, which then took multiple requests to correct.” Since the tech giant failed to provide accurate information upon request, it was considered to have breached Ofcom’s terms and therefore is liable for a fine.

“For these administrative failings, we are imposing a fine on Meta of £450,000. In line with our established procedures, the penalty was reduced by 25% on what it otherwise would have been because Meta accepted liability and agreed to settle the case. The fine also takes into account other relevant contextual factors, including that Meta did not benefit or make any gain from its failure to comply,” Ofcom said.