Prof. Eldrid Jordaan is the founder of GovChat.
When Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014, the final transaction was valued at approximately $22 billion.
At the time, WhatsApp had extraordinary reach but a limited commercial model. Its strategic value lay primarily in its rapidly expanding network of users and the communications infrastructure that could ultimately be built around them.
More than a decade later, the implications of that acquisition deserve renewed scrutiny.
Changes to WhatsApp Business pricing in South Africa will mean businesses paying for categories of messages that have previously benefited from different charging arrangements.
