WhatsApp Business API for Indian firms with buyers and patients in George Town
Penang exported RM574 billion of goods in 2025, and George Town's heritage streets and hospitals receive visitors from abroad. Indian firms write to both, and both need the same groundwork.
Trade 1
Chips and electronics
Bayan Lepas, Malaysia's first free-trade zone, and more than 350 multinationals buying parts and services.
Trade 2
Heritage, hospitals and the harbour
A UNESCO-listed old town, hospitals that receive travellers, and Malaysia's busiest cruise harbour.
For Indian suppliers to Penang's electronics and device plants, and Indian travel and medical-travel desks sending people to George Town: a checklist for the first WhatsApp programme to Penang, covering consent, template languages, categories, send times, patient details and the +60 rate in rupees.
Penang's two economies
From InvestPenang, the state's investment agency, George Town World Heritage Incorporated and the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council.
Penang's GDP reached RM130 billion in 2025, 7.5% of Malaysia's, with real growth of 7.3%; its exports were valued at RM574 billion.[1],[2]
More than 350 multinationals and 6,500 SMEs operate in the state, where Bayan Lepas Industrial Park was Malaysia's first free-trade zone.[1]
Manufacturing investment of RM22.4 billion across 232 projects was approved in 2025, and InvestPenang names Lam Research, Infineon, Texas Instruments, Micron, Bosch, ASE and Intel among recent chip-sector investors.[2]
Penang International Airport is served by 29 international airlines flying to 28 destinations, and the port is Malaysia's busiest harbour for cruise shipping.[1]
George Town was inscribed on the World Heritage List jointly with Melaka, and its annual Heritage Celebrations reach their 18th edition in 2026.[3]
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council lists Penang providers including Island Hospital, Gleneagles Hospital Penang, Penang Adventist Hospital and Pantai Hospital Penang.[4]
See it work
Before the first message goes to Penang
Seven things to settle before an Indian team writes to a Bayan Lepas buyer or a patient bound for a George Town hospital. Tick them off as you go.
The item most teams skip is the third. A medical-travel desk is tempted to send the full plan in one message; keep WhatsApp templates to logistics and let the hospital's own channels carry clinical detail.
The Malaysia guide explains the amended PDPA, consent and section 43 in full.
Penang programme checklist
7/7
ticked
- Required
- 4 / 4
- Optional
- 3 / 3
Ready to message Penang
Every item ticked.
Ready to message Penang. 7 of 7 ticked.
Who messages what
Who in India writes to George Town and Bayan Lepas
InvestPenang's sectors and the healthcare council's list, each with its Indian counterpart.
| Sector | What it sends on WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| Electronics and semiconductor suppliersChip and electronics plants in a state with more than five decades of industry; Indian component, test and IC-design firms keep their buyers informed.[1],[2] |
|
| Medical devices and precision engineeringBoth are on InvestPenang's list of key sectors; Indian machining and moulding suppliers ship to their plants.[2] |
|
| Medical-travel facilitatorsPenang hospitals appear on the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council's provider list; facilitators in India coordinate patients and families.[4] |
|
| Travel agents and cruise desksA UNESCO-listed old town and Malaysia's busiest cruise harbour; Indian agents send groups and shore-day guests.[3],[1] |
|
Four template languages for one island
InvestPenang lists English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil among the languages spoken in Penang. All four have a Meta template code.
Each language version is approved separately. Replies inside the 24-hour window can be in any language your team writes; InfiQ's own support team works in English and Hindi.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| English (Malaysia) | en_MY | Plants, purchasing teams and hospital international desks |
| Malay | ms | Malaysian staff and customers who prefer the national language |
| Chinese (CHN) | zh_CN | Contacts who read Simplified Chinese |
| Tamil | ta | Tamil-speaking families in George Town and patients from Tamil Nadu |
Prices in ₹ and MYR
What a Penang thread costs from India
Malaysian numbers are charged at Malaysia's rate: ₹1.23 for a utility template, ₹7.56 for marketing, ₹1.23 for a passcode and ₹1.23 per service reply, in rupees before GST, on top of a plan from ₹999 a month.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ RM 42.96 MYR
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ RM 35.83 MYR
Everything a growing business needs to run WhatsApp properly.
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ RM 128.98 MYR
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ RM 107.48 MYR
Lite, plus the API, automation and team scale serious senders need.
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to George Town · Malaysia
| Category | ₹ INR | MYR |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹7.5644 | RM 0.325 |
| Utility | ₹1.2314 | RM 0.0530 |
| Authentication | ₹1.2314 | RM 0.0530 |
| Service | ₹1.2314 | RM 0.0530 |
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and MYR
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | RM 0.234₹5.4352 | RM 0.0984₹2.2874 | RM 0.0984₹2.2874 | RM 0.0984₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | RM 0.277₹6.4397 | RM 0.0140₹0.3254 | RM 0.0140₹0.3254 | RM 0.0140₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | RM 0.236₹5.4970 | RM 0.0257₹0.5981 | RM 0.0257₹0.5981 | RM 0.0257₹0.5981 |
| Chile | RM 0.336₹7.8162 | RM 0.0756₹1.7585 | RM 0.0756₹1.7585 | RM 0.0756₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | RM 0.0473₹1.0993 | RM 0.0030₹0.0706 | RM 0.0030₹0.0706 | RM 0.0030₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | RM 0.244₹5.6629 | RM 0.0136₹0.3167 | RM 0.0136₹0.3167 | RM 0.0136₹0.3167 |
| France | RM 0.325₹7.5588 | RM 0.114₹2.6393 | RM 0.114₹2.6393 | RM 0.114₹2.6393 |
| Germany | RM 0.516₹12.0088 | RM 0.208₹4.8386 | RM 0.208₹4.8386 | RM 0.208₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | RM 0.277₹6.4397 | RM 0.0983₹2.2867 | RM 0.0983₹2.2867 | RM 0.0983₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | RM 0.325₹7.5596 | RM 0.132₹3.0700 | RM 0.132₹3.0700 | RM 0.132₹3.0700 |
| India | RM 0.0406₹0.9435 | RM 0.0083₹0.1941 | RM 0.0060₹0.1402 | RM 0.0062₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | RM 0.155₹3.6133 | RM 0.0945₹2.1979 | RM 0.0945₹2.1979 | RM 0.0945₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | RM 0.129₹2.9992 | RM 0.0299₹0.6943 | RM 0.0299₹0.6943 | RM 0.0299₹0.6943 |
| Israel | RM 0.134₹3.1045 | RM 0.0201₹0.4662 | RM 0.0201₹0.4662 | RM 0.0201₹0.4662 |
| Italy | RM 0.300₹6.9847 | RM 0.113₹2.6369 | RM 0.113₹2.6369 | RM 0.113₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | RM 0.228₹5.3098 | RM 0.0681₹1.5824 | RM 0.0681₹1.5824 | RM 0.0681₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | RM 0.300₹6.9671 | RM 0.166₹3.8671 | RM 0.166₹3.8671 | RM 0.166₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | RM 0.325₹7.5644 | RM 0.0530₹1.2314 | RM 0.0530₹1.2314 | RM 0.0530₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | RM 0.150₹3.4877 | RM 0.0321₹0.7471 | RM 0.0321₹0.7471 | RM 0.0321₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | RM 0.157₹3.6425 | RM 0.0870₹2.0218 | RM 0.0870₹2.0218 | RM 0.0870₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | RM 0.604₹14.0494 | RM 0.189₹4.3987 | RM 0.189₹4.3987 | RM 0.189₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | RM 0.277₹6.4397 | RM 0.0129₹0.2990 | RM 0.0129₹0.2990 | RM 0.0129₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | RM 0.195₹4.5421 | RM 0.0254₹0.5898 | RM 0.0254₹0.5898 | RM 0.0254₹0.5898 |
| Oman | RM 0.129₹2.9992 | RM 0.0934₹2.1709 | RM 0.0934₹2.1709 | RM 0.0934₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | RM 0.179₹4.1620 | RM 0.0568₹1.3200 | RM 0.0568₹1.3200 | RM 0.0568₹1.3200 |
| Peru | RM 0.266₹6.1843 | RM 0.114₹2.6392 | RM 0.114₹2.6392 | RM 0.114₹2.6392 |
| Poland | RM 0.138₹3.2105 | RM 0.0460₹1.0702 | RM 0.0460₹1.0702 | RM 0.0460₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | RM 0.129₹2.9992 | RM 0.0454₹1.0547 | RM 0.0454₹1.0547 | RM 0.0454₹1.0547 |
| Romania | RM 0.325₹7.5596 | RM 0.109₹2.5436 | RM 0.109₹2.5436 | RM 0.109₹2.5436 |
| Russia | RM 0.303₹7.0520 | RM 0.151₹3.5173 | RM 0.151₹3.5173 | RM 0.151₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | RM 0.217₹5.0537 | RM 0.0404₹0.9401 | RM 0.0404₹0.9401 | RM 0.0404₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | RM 0.277₹6.4397 | RM 0.0605₹1.4072 | RM 0.0605₹1.4072 | RM 0.0605₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | RM 0.144₹3.3385 | RM 0.0360₹0.8369 | RM 0.0360₹0.8369 | RM 0.0360₹0.8369 |
| Spain | RM 0.267₹6.2161 | RM 0.0756₹1.7578 | RM 0.0756₹1.7578 | RM 0.0756₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | RM 0.277₹6.4397 | RM 0.0076₹0.1759 | RM 0.0076₹0.1759 | RM 0.0076₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | RM 0.0412₹0.9587 | RM 0.0034₹0.0792 | RM 0.0034₹0.0792 | RM 0.0034₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | RM 0.325₹7.5596 | RM 0.112₹2.6138 | RM 0.112₹2.6138 | RM 0.112₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | RM 0.217₹5.0537 | RM 0.0594₹1.3811 | RM 0.0594₹1.3811 | RM 0.0594₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | RM 0.240₹5.5795 | RM 0.0832₹1.9346 | RM 0.0832₹1.9346 | RM 0.0832₹1.9346 |
| North America | RM 0.0945₹2.1976 | RM 0.0129₹0.2989 | RM 0.0129₹0.2989 | RM 0.0129₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | RM 0.0851₹1.9796 | RM 0.0151₹0.3516 | RM 0.0151₹0.3516 | RM 0.0151₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | RM 0.319₹7.4057 | RM 0.0427₹0.9938 | RM 0.0427₹0.9938 | RM 0.0427₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | RM 0.325₹7.5596 | RM 0.0800₹1.8595 | RM 0.0800₹1.8595 | RM 0.0800₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | RM 0.280₹6.5048 | RM 0.0427₹0.9934 | RM 0.0427₹0.9934 | RM 0.0427₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | RM 0.148₹3.4490 | RM 0.0344₹0.7998 | RM 0.0344₹0.7998 | RM 0.0344₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | RM 0.224₹5.2054 | RM 0.0646₹1.5019 | RM 0.0646₹1.5019 | RM 0.0646₹1.5019 |
| Other | RM 0.228₹5.3098 | RM 0.0291₹0.6769 | RM 0.0291₹0.6769 | RM 0.0291₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. A patient's family in India on +91 numbers is charged ₹0.19 for the same appointment update. Ringgit figures in the converter are indicative; InfiQ invoices in rupees.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costOn InfiQ
What an Indian team runs for Penang
The checklist's items, each held in one place.
- Consent records and opt-out enforcement
Each Penang contact's opt-in source and time are stored, with STOP enforced across the account, the first box on the checklist.
- Template manager and library
Draft en_MY, ms, zh_CN and ta versions of the same update and track each one through Meta's approval.
- Shared team inbox
Penang's working day starts before India's; transfers and private notes keep a buyer's or patient's thread with whoever is on shift.
- Developer API and webhooks
The supplier's ERP or the facilitator's case system sends the ETA or the appointment template the moment it changes.
Nearby
City pages near George Town
The nearest city guides on this site, in Malaysia and across the Strait.
Consent, Malay templates and the Malaysia rate apply on Penang Island as across the country; the Malaysia guide covers them.
Guides for George Town teams
Questions George Town businesses ask
- Q1
We make test sockets in Bengaluru for a chip plant in Bayan Lepas. Are shipment ETAs to the plant's buyers utility messages?
Yes. An update about an order the buyer placed, such as dispatch, ETA or customs clearance, is a utility template at ₹1.23 per delivered message to a +60 number. Your ERP can send it through the API the moment the status changes, to buyer contacts who agreed to receive it.
- Q2
Our medical-travel desk in Chennai sends patients to George Town hospitals. What should an appointment reminder say?
Keep it to logistics: the hospital, the date and time, the pickup point and the coordinator's name. Leave diagnoses and reports out of templates. A reminder to a patient on a +91 number costs ₹0.19; once they use a Malaysian SIM, ₹1.23.
- Q3
Can our messages to Tamil-speaking families in George Town's Little India be written in Tamil?
Yes. Tamil (ta) is on Meta's template list, and InvestPenang names Tamil among the languages spoken in Penang. Submit the Tamil version alongside English (Malaysia) and Malay versions, each approved separately, and record which language each contact prefers when they opt in.
- Q4
Cruise guests from India spend a shore day in George Town. Can our tour desk send the meeting point at Swettenham Pier on WhatsApp?
Yes, as a utility template to guests who agreed to trip updates when they booked, with the meeting point, the guide's name and a map pin. Guests on +91 numbers cost ₹0.19 per message. Replies on the day are service messages, answered from the team inbox.
- Q5
A Penang shared-services centre wants our Pune agents to run its staff helpdesk on WhatsApp. Can several agents share one number?
Yes. The shared team inbox gives 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, with agent and manager roles, transfers, labels and canned replies. Penang's day starts two and a half hours before India's, so plan an early shift for the first replies.
- Q6
Our Penang subsidiary buys components from our Indian parent. Which company should hold the InfiQ account?
InfiQ is built for India-based businesses: it bills in rupees with GST and keeps customer data in India. If the Indian company runs the messaging, it can hold the account and message +60 numbers at the Malaysia rate. If your business is based in George Town, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
- [1]Why Penang · InvestPenang · read 2026-10-20
- [2]InvestPenang: home page (2025 exports and investment, key sectors) · InvestPenang · read 2026-10-20
- [3]George Town World Heritage Incorporated: home page · George Town World Heritage Incorporated · read 2026-10-20
- [4]Malaysia Healthcare: providers · Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council · read 2026-10-20
Tick the Penang checklist, then start sending
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and have your en_MY and ta templates approved before the first shipment or patient. If your business is based in George Town, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
