The EU’s DMA, which aims to promote fair competition among tech companies, mandates large platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger to become interoperable with other messaging services. This regulation, which came into force in March, requires these “gatekeeper” companies to open up their services to allow communication between different messaging apps.
Interoperability Between Messaging Services
The goal of this regulation is to increase user choice and prevent large platforms from locking users into their ecosystems. By mandating interoperability, the DMA aims to foster a more competitive and innovative messaging market, where users can freely communicate across different apps.
This requirement means that services like WhatsApp and Messenger will need to develop the necessary technical solutions to enable users of their platforms to exchange messages, send files, and make video calls with users of other messaging services. The regulation also stipulates that these interoperability features must be provided free of charge and without degrading the user experience.
The implementation of this interoperability mandate will be a significant challenge for the affected platforms, as it requires complex technical and operational changes. However, the EU believes that this measure is necessary to address the market dominance of large messaging services and promote a more open and competitive digital landscape.
