IMA-HUB

Digital Markets Act Regulation will boost IMA-HUB services
The EU’s Digital Markets Act regulation came into force in October 2022 require messaging app developers to make their apps work together. The regulation, states that the “gatekeeper” companies behind WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or iMessage would have to make their apps “interoperable” with smaller messaging platforms at the developers’ request. The largest messaging services will have to open up and interoperate with smaller messaging platforms, if they so request. Users of small or big platforms would then be able to exchange messages, send files or make video calls across messaging apps, thus giving them more choice.

According to the Regulation the gatekeepers are obliged to make the basic functionalities of its independent interpersonal communications services interoperable with the independent interpersonal communications services of another provider offering or intending to offer such services, by providing the necessary technical interfaces or similar solutions.

The gatekeeper shall make at least the following basic functionalities interoperable where the gatekeeper itself provides those functionalities to its own end users:

• following the regulation:
  1. end-to-end text messaging between two individual end users;
  2. sharing of images, voice messages, videos and other attached files in end to end communication between two individual end users;
• within 2 years from the regulation:
  1. end-to-end text messaging within groups of individual end users;
  2. sharing of images, voice messages, videos and other attached files in end-to-end communication between a group chat and an individual end user;
• within 4 years from the regulation:
  1. end-to-end voice calls between two individual end users;
  2. end-to-end video calls between two individual end users;
  3. end-to-end voice calls between a group chat and an individual end user;
  4. end-to-end video calls between a group chat and an individual end user.