WhatsApp Business API for Indian studios and suppliers working with Leeds
Leeds hosted the first day of India's High Commissioner's northern tour in September 2026, and West Yorkshire's mayor is part of the Great North delegation to India in October. The work that follows runs on updates.
For Indian post-production studios, apparel and food suppliers and service firms with clients in Leeds: why West Yorkshire is courting India this year, how one job moves from brief to delivery on WhatsApp, what counts as marketing under PECR, Leeds working hours in IST and the UK rate in rupees.
Why Leeds is on Indian itineraries this autumn
The Consulate General of India in Manchester has spent 2026 building links with the North of England. Leeds and West Yorkshire are at the centre of it.
India's High Commissioner, Kumaran Periasamy, began his first official visit to the North of England in Leeds on 9 September 2026; Indian diplomats joined a White Rose Yorkshire Mission panel with the mayors of West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and York and North Yorkshire.[1]
A roundtable at Leeds Conservatoire the same day brought together Yorkshire creative organisations including Channel 4, Screen Yorkshire, Production Park, Opera North and Leeds Playhouse.[1]
West Yorkshire is part of the Great North mayoral delegation to India in October 2026, with Liverpool City Region, South Yorkshire, the North East, and Cheshire and Warrington.[2]
The Consulate cites 1,197 Indian-owned companies in the UK (CII, 2025) and 65,000 companies owned by the Indian diaspora, many of them in the North.[2]
Leeds's ten-year Economic Vision aims to generate £20 billion of growth and 100,000 new jobs across the city.[3]
See it work
One Leeds job, from brief to delivery
Follow a post-production job commissioned in Leeds and delivered from India. Each state change is a message the producer would otherwise chase by email.
The same states fit an apparel order for a Leeds retailer or a food consignment for a West Yorkshire buyer: sample, production, inspection, dispatch, delivery. What changes is the template at each step, not the pattern.
Your project or order system can fire each template through the developer API when a status changes, and the producer's notes land in the shared team inbox for whichever editor owns the job.
A Leeds production job, state by state
- Brief signed off to In production in India: kick-off template
- In production in India to Cut out for review: review link
- Cut out for review to Notes from Leeds: producer replies
- Notes from Leeds to In production in India: revisions start
- Cut out for review to Signed off: approved as is
- Signed off to Delivered: delivery notice
- Brief signed off
- In production in India
- Cut out for review
- Signed off
- Delivered
Step 5 of 5 · end of walk
Delivered
The delivery notice and invoice link go out together as one utility template.
Arrived from Signed off via delivery notice.
Can move to
Nothing — this is a final state.
Happy path, step 5 of 5: Delivered (via delivery notice). The delivery notice and invoice link go out together as one utility template.
Who messages what
What Indian firms send to Leeds and West Yorkshire
The sectors the September tour and the Consulate's trade-deal briefing named, and the first messages each sends to a +44 number.
| Sector | What it sends on WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| Post-production, VFX and animationThe Leeds Conservatoire roundtable put Channel 4, Screen Yorkshire and Production Park in one room with Indian diplomats.[1] |
|
| Food and grocery supplyMorrisons and Seabrook Crisps were among the organisations at the High Commissioner's meeting with Bradford's business community.[1] |
|
| Textiles and apparelThe Consulate lists textiles, leather and apparel among the Indian exports whose UK tariffs the trade deal removes.[2] |
|
| Financial services and AIBoth were named among the India–North England sectors at the March 2026 Opportunity Summit.[2] |
|
A Leeds number on an Indian clock
A Leeds producer's 17:30 is 23:00 in India all winter: the review link has to land before lunch in Leeds.
Leeds landlines start 0113 and mobiles 07; the API needs both as +44 without the leading 0. Ofcom reserves 0113 496 0000 to 0999 and 07700 900000 to 900999 for drama, so a test record such as 0113 496 0321 becomes +441134960321 and will never reach a real line.
Under GMT a Leeds office day of 09:00 to 17:30 runs from 14:30 to 23:00 IST; under British Summer Time it is 13:30 to 22:00. Schedule in Europe/London time and the change on the last Sunday of October or March moves the IST hour for you.
Offers to individuals in Leeds need consent, or PECR's soft opt-in for existing customers, as well as Meta's opt-in to WhatsApp; the United Kingdom guide sets out both. InfiQ's own support team works India time, in English and Hindi.
Prices in ₹ and GBP
The UK rate, applied to a Leeds job
Every template to a +44 number in Leeds bills at the United Kingdom line: ₹1.93 for a milestone or review-link update, ₹5.58 for a showreel or an offer, ₹1.93 for a login code and ₹1.93 for each service reply, in rupees before GST.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ £7.90 GBP
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ £6.59 GBP
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ £23.72 GBP
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ £19.76 GBP
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to Leeds · United Kingdom
| Category | ₹ INR | GBP |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹5.5795 | £0.0441 |
| Utility | ₹1.9346 | £0.0153 |
| Authentication | ₹1.9346 | £0.0153 |
| Service | ₹1.9346 | £0.0153 |
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and GBP
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | £0.0430₹5.4352 | £0.0181₹2.2874 | £0.0181₹2.2874 | £0.0181₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0026₹0.3254 | £0.0026₹0.3254 | £0.0026₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | £0.0435₹5.4970 | £0.0047₹0.5981 | £0.0047₹0.5981 | £0.0047₹0.5981 |
| Chile | £0.0618₹7.8162 | £0.0139₹1.7585 | £0.0139₹1.7585 | £0.0139₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | £0.0087₹1.0993 | £0.0006₹0.0706 | £0.0006₹0.0706 | £0.0006₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | £0.0448₹5.6629 | £0.0025₹0.3167 | £0.0025₹0.3167 | £0.0025₹0.3167 |
| France | £0.0598₹7.5588 | £0.0209₹2.6393 | £0.0209₹2.6393 | £0.0209₹2.6393 |
| Germany | £0.0950₹12.0088 | £0.0383₹4.8386 | £0.0383₹4.8386 | £0.0383₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0181₹2.2867 | £0.0181₹2.2867 | £0.0181₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0243₹3.0700 | £0.0243₹3.0700 | £0.0243₹3.0700 |
| India | £0.0075₹0.9435 | £0.0015₹0.1941 | £0.0011₹0.1402 | £0.0011₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | £0.0286₹3.6133 | £0.0174₹2.1979 | £0.0174₹2.1979 | £0.0174₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | £0.0237₹2.9992 | £0.0055₹0.6943 | £0.0055₹0.6943 | £0.0055₹0.6943 |
| Israel | £0.0246₹3.1045 | £0.0037₹0.4662 | £0.0037₹0.4662 | £0.0037₹0.4662 |
| Italy | £0.0552₹6.9847 | £0.0209₹2.6369 | £0.0209₹2.6369 | £0.0209₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | £0.0420₹5.3098 | £0.0125₹1.5824 | £0.0125₹1.5824 | £0.0125₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | £0.0551₹6.9671 | £0.0306₹3.8671 | £0.0306₹3.8671 | £0.0306₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | £0.0598₹7.5644 | £0.0097₹1.2314 | £0.0097₹1.2314 | £0.0097₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | £0.0276₹3.4877 | £0.0059₹0.7471 | £0.0059₹0.7471 | £0.0059₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | £0.0288₹3.6425 | £0.0160₹2.0218 | £0.0160₹2.0218 | £0.0160₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | £0.111₹14.0494 | £0.0348₹4.3987 | £0.0348₹4.3987 | £0.0348₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0024₹0.2990 | £0.0024₹0.2990 | £0.0024₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | £0.0359₹4.5421 | £0.0047₹0.5898 | £0.0047₹0.5898 | £0.0047₹0.5898 |
| Oman | £0.0237₹2.9992 | £0.0172₹2.1709 | £0.0172₹2.1709 | £0.0172₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | £0.0329₹4.1620 | £0.0104₹1.3200 | £0.0104₹1.3200 | £0.0104₹1.3200 |
| Peru | £0.0489₹6.1843 | £0.0209₹2.6392 | £0.0209₹2.6392 | £0.0209₹2.6392 |
| Poland | £0.0254₹3.2105 | £0.0085₹1.0702 | £0.0085₹1.0702 | £0.0085₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | £0.0237₹2.9992 | £0.0083₹1.0547 | £0.0083₹1.0547 | £0.0083₹1.0547 |
| Romania | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0201₹2.5436 | £0.0201₹2.5436 | £0.0201₹2.5436 |
| Russia | £0.0558₹7.0520 | £0.0278₹3.5173 | £0.0278₹3.5173 | £0.0278₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | £0.0400₹5.0537 | £0.0074₹0.9401 | £0.0074₹0.9401 | £0.0074₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0111₹1.4072 | £0.0111₹1.4072 | £0.0111₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | £0.0264₹3.3385 | £0.0066₹0.8369 | £0.0066₹0.8369 | £0.0066₹0.8369 |
| Spain | £0.0492₹6.2161 | £0.0139₹1.7578 | £0.0139₹1.7578 | £0.0139₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | £0.0509₹6.4397 | £0.0014₹0.1759 | £0.0014₹0.1759 | £0.0014₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | £0.0076₹0.9587 | £0.0006₹0.0792 | £0.0006₹0.0792 | £0.0006₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0207₹2.6138 | £0.0207₹2.6138 | £0.0207₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | £0.0400₹5.0537 | £0.0109₹1.3811 | £0.0109₹1.3811 | £0.0109₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | £0.0441₹5.5795 | £0.0153₹1.9346 | £0.0153₹1.9346 | £0.0153₹1.9346 |
| North America | £0.0174₹2.1976 | £0.0024₹0.2989 | £0.0024₹0.2989 | £0.0024₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | £0.0157₹1.9796 | £0.0028₹0.3516 | £0.0028₹0.3516 | £0.0028₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | £0.0586₹7.4057 | £0.0079₹0.9938 | £0.0079₹0.9938 | £0.0079₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | £0.0598₹7.5596 | £0.0147₹1.8595 | £0.0147₹1.8595 | £0.0147₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | £0.0514₹6.5048 | £0.0079₹0.9934 | £0.0079₹0.9934 | £0.0079₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | £0.0273₹3.4490 | £0.0063₹0.7998 | £0.0063₹0.7998 | £0.0063₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | £0.0412₹5.2054 | £0.0119₹1.5019 | £0.0119₹1.5019 | £0.0119₹1.5019 |
| Other | £0.0420₹5.3098 | £0.0054₹0.6769 | £0.0054₹0.6769 | £0.0054₹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. Messages to your own team on +91 numbers bill at the India rate (₹0.19 for utility). Lite is ₹999 a month and Growth ₹2,999; pound figures in the converter are indicative, and the invoice is in rupees.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costOn InfiQ
What a Leeds account runs on
The parts of InfiQ a studio or supplier serving Leeds clients uses from the first job.
- Developer API and webhooks
Your render queue, project tracker or ERP sends the milestone template the moment a Leeds job changes state.
- Template manager and library
Get the en_GB kick-off, review-link and delivery templates approved by Meta before the first Leeds job starts, not during it.
- Shared team inbox
Notes from a Leeds producer reach whichever editor owns the job, with transfers and private notes between shifts in India.
- Consent records and opt-out enforcement
The order-form tick that serves as each producer's opt-in is stored with its source and time, and STOP is enforced on every later send.
Nearby
City pages near Leeds
Other city guides in the North of England and beyond, nearest first.
Leeds and Manchester were the first two stops on the High Commissioner's September tour. PECR and the UK rate are the same in both; the United Kingdom guide covers them in full.
Guides for Leeds teams
Questions Leeds businesses ask
- Our VFX studio in India sends review cuts to producers in Leeds. Can the review link go out on WhatsApp?
- Yes, as a utility template carrying the link, once the producer has opted in, for example on your order form. Each costs ₹1.93 to a +44 number. Notes the producer types back open a 24-hour window in which your editors reply from the shared inbox at ₹1.93 per reply.
- We met Yorkshire buyers during the Great North mayoral delegation's October 2026 visit to India. Can we follow up on WhatsApp?
- A business card is not an opt-in. Put a WhatsApp link or QR code in your follow-up email and let the buyer message you first; you can reply for 24 hours and ask then whether they want updates. PECR treats company subscribers differently from individuals, which the United Kingdom guide explains.
- Our knitwear unit in Tiruppur supplies retailers in Leeds and Bradford. Which of our messages count as marketing?
- Sample approvals, production milestones and dispatch notices tied to an order are utility templates. A new-season range or a discount sent to a buyer who did not ask for it is marketing, at ₹5.58 to a +44 number, and needs the buyer's opt-in first.
- A Leeds production office works 09:00 to 17:30. When should our editors in Chennai or Mumbai send?
- Under GMT that day is 14:30 to 23:00 IST; under British Summer Time, 13:30 to 22:00 IST. Send templates in the Leeds morning so replies come back while your editors are still at work, and schedule in Europe/London time so the October and March changes are handled.
- Our Leeds client wants its own coordinator to answer customers on our WhatsApp number. Can we add them?
- Yes. The shared inbox gives 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, with agent and manager roles, transfers, labels and private notes, so a coordinator in Leeds and your desk in India can work one number. If the business holding the account is based in Leeds, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
- Leeds has more than 21,000 residents of Indian ethnicity. Can our community-event templates be in Punjabi or Gujarati?
- Yes. Meta accepts templates in Punjabi (pa), Gujarati (gu), Hindi (hi) and Urdu (ur), each approved separately from the English (UK) version. Send each contact the language they chose when they opted in, and keep en_GB as the default for everyone else.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
- [1]Press release: High Commissioner Shri Kumaran Periasamy visits Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool (September 2026) · Consulate General of India, Manchester · read 2026-10-20
- [2]Press release: India-UK CETA comes into force; India set to welcome Great North Mayoral Delegation (15 July 2026) · Consulate General of India, Manchester · read 2026-10-20
- [3]Inclusive Growth Leeds and the Leeds Economic Vision · Leeds City Council (Inclusive Growth Leeds) · read 2026-10-20
- [4]Census 2021, TS021 Ethnic group: Leeds and other districts · Office for National Statistics (Nomis) · read 2026-10-20
- [5]Telephone numbers for use in TV and radio drama · Ofcom · read 2026-10-20
- [6]tzdb 'europe' file: Europe/London and EU daylight-saving rules · IANA Time Zone Database · read 2026-10-20
Send your first Leeds review link
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed; templates go to +44 numbers once Meta business verification is complete. If your business is based in Leeds, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
