This is mostly a bugfix release over version 1.9.0 .

The main fix is the rust JID implementation that would behave incorrectly when hashed if the JID contained non-ascii characters. This is an important issue as using a non-ascii JID was mostly broken, and interacting with one failed in interesting ways.

Healthcare generates large amounts of data every day. From patient records and medical scans to treatment plans and clinical trials. This information, known as big data, has the potential to improve patient care, improve efficiency, and drive innovation. But many organisations are still figuring out how to use it effectively.

With AI-driven analytics, wearable technology, and real-time monitoring, healthcare providers, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies are using data to make better decisions for patients, personalise treatments, and predict health trends. So how can you do the same?

Let’s explore the fundamentals of big data in healthcare, its real-world impact and what steps leaders can take to maximise its growing impact.

What is Big Data?

Big data refers to the vast amounts of structured and unstructured information from patient records, medical imaging, wearables, and clinical research. Proper analysis can improve patient care, support better decision-making, and reduce costs.

This data comes from a wide range of sources, including electronic health records (EHRs), test results, diagnoses, medical images, and real-time data from smart wearables. It also includes healthcare-related financial and demographic information. When properly analysed, it helps identify patterns, predict health trends, and support evidence-based decision-making.

The global healthcare market is expanding quickly and is expected to be worth USD 145.42 billion by 2033. As more organisations adopt AI-driven analytics and machine learning, data is becoming a key driver of innovation, helping healthcare professionals deliver more personalised and effective care.

The Three V’s of Big Data

To better understand big data, we can break it down into three key characteristics: volume, velocity, and variety.

1. Volume

The industry produces massive amounts of data, from electronic health records (EHRs) and medical imaging to clinical research and wearable devices. The total volume of healthcare data doubles every 73 days. Managing this requires advanced storage solutions, such as cloud computing and NoSQL databases , to handle both structured and unstructured data effectively.

2. Velocity

Healthcare data is constantly being created. Real-time data streams from patient monitoring systems, wearable technology , and AI-powered diagnostics provide continuous updates. To be useful, this data must be processed instantly, allowing professionals to make fast, informed decisions that support better patient care.

3. Variety

Healthcare data comes in many formats, from structured databases to unstructured text, images, videos, and biometric data . Around 80% of healthcare data is unstructured, meaning it doesn’t fit neatly into traditional databases. A patient’s medical history might include lab results, prescriptions, clinician notes, and radiology reports, all in different formats. Integrating and analysing this diverse information is essential for identifying trends and improving treatments.

Mastering these three V’s helps healthcare organisations make better use of data, leading to more accurate diagnoses, personalised treatments, and improved patient outcomes.

Key Sources of Healthcare Data

Now that we’ve discussed the Three V’s , it’s important to explore where this data originates. The primary sources of healthcare data contribute to the massive volumes of information, real-time updates, and diverse formats that we’ve just covered.

Here are some of the key sources:

• Electronic Health Records (EHRs) & Medical Records (EMRs) – Digital records containing patient histories, test results, and prescriptions.
• Wearable Devices & Health Apps – Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and remote monitoring tools that gather real-time health metrics.
• Medical Imaging & Genomic Data – X-rays, MRIs, and DNA sequencing that assist in diagnostics, research, and precision medicine.
• Clinical Trials & Research Databases – Data from large-scale studies that drive medical advancements and evidence-based medicine.
• Public Health & Epidemiological Data – Population health data that track disease trends and guide public health strategies.
• Hospital Information Systems (HIS) & Administrative Data – Operational data that help manage resources and patient flow within healthcare facilities.

These sources contribute to the expanding pool of healthcare data, helping organisations make smarter decisions and deliver better care for patients.

Benefits of Big Data in Healthcare

As healthcare organisations continue to collect more data, big data is proving to be a game-changer in improving patient care, driving clinical outcomes, and making healthcare more efficient. By analysing vast amounts of information, providers can identify trends and patterns that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Below are some of the key benefits that big data brings to healthcare, from better patient care to more effective operations.

Benefit	Description	Impact
Improved Patient Care	Identifies patterns to predict and prevent diseases, enabling personalised care.	Could save the healthcare industry £230 billion to £350 billion annually through improved care and efficiency.
Cost Reduction	Optimises resource allocation, reduces waste, and improves efficiency.	Predictive analytics can cut hospital readmissions by up to 20% , leading to significant savings.
Enhanced Clinical Outcomes	Integrates data to identify the most effective treatments for patients.	Improves clinical decision-making with real-time insights and evidence-based recommendations.
Accelerated Medical Research	Offers large datasets for faster analysis, cutting clinical trial time and costs.	Reduces c linical trial times by 30% and associated costs by 50%.
Predictive Analytics	Forecasts patient needs, improving outcomes and reducing readmissions.	Helps optimise resources and reduce readmission rates, improving care and reducing costs.
Precision Medicine	Tailors treatments based on individual characteristics like genetics.	Big Data enables more targeted and effective treatment plans.
Population Health Management	Identifies at-risk populations for targeted interventions.	Reduces the prevalence of chronic diseases through early detection and personalised care.
Operational Efficiency	Improves processes like inventory management and reduces waste.	Enhances resource management, reduces costs, and improves service delivery.

Data Privacy and Security in Healthcare

While big data enhances patient care and efficiency, it also brings critical data security challenges. IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach report highlights the average healthcare breach costs $9.77 million. Protecting patient data is crucial for maintaining trust and avoiding risks.

Source: Cost of Data Breach Report, IBM

Key Challenges in Healthcare Data Security

Several issues make healthcare data security more difficult:

Challenge	Details
Outdated Systems	Older systems may have security gaps that hackers can exploit.
Weak Passwords	Simple or reused passwords make it easier for unauthorised people to access sensitive data.
Internal Threats	Employees or contractors could accidentally or intentionally compromise data security.
Mobile and Cloud Security	As healthcare uses more mobile devices and cloud storage, keeping data safe across different platforms becomes harder.

With so much data being collected and shared, these challenges are becoming more complex, making it crucial to stay on top of security measures.

Regulatory Framework: HIPAA and Beyond

In the U.S., the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets the rules for protecting patient data. While HIPAA covers the basics, healthcare organisations need to stay on top of evolving security threats and regulations as technology changes.

Besides HIPAA, other important regulations include the HITECH Act , which supports the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and strengthens privacy protections, and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, which controls how personal data is used and gives patients more control over their information.

In our previous blog, The Golden Age of Data in Healthcare , we touched on the challenges that come with using new technologies like blockchain. While blockchain offers secure data storage, it also raises concerns around data ownership and staying compliant with rules like HIPAA and GDPR.

Solutions to Enhance Healthcare Data Security

To better protect patient data, healthcare organisations should implement:

• Data Encryption : Keeps data secure even if intercepted.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) : Adds an extra layer of security by requiring more than just a password.
• System Monitoring and Threat Detection : Monitoring systems for unusual activity helps quickly spot potential breaches.
• Employee Training : Teaching staff about security best practices and how to spot phishing attempts helps reduce risks.

By following clear security measures and meeting regulatory requirements, organisations can prevent breaches and keep patient trust intact.

Enhancing Healthcare Security with Erlang, Elixir, and SAFE

As we’ve seen, healthcare faces ongoing security challenges such as outdated systems, weak passwords, internal threats, and securing mobile and cloud data. Erlang and Elixir , by their very nature, offer solutions to these problems.

• Outdated systems: Erlang and Elixir are built for high availability and fault tolerance, ensuring critical healthcare systems remain operational without the risk of system failures, even when legacy infrastructure is involved.
• Weak passwords & internal threats: Both technologies provide process isolation and robust concurrency, limiting the impact of internal threats and reducing the risk of unauthorised access.
• Mobile and cloud security: With Erlang and Elixir’s scalability and resilience, securing data across mobile platforms and cloud environments becomes easier, supporting secure, seamless data exchanges.

To further bolster security, SAFE (Security Audit for Erlang/Elixir) helps healthcare providers identify vulnerabilities in their systems. This service:

• Identifies vulnerabilities in code that could expose systems to attacks.
• Assesses risk levels to prioritise fixes.
• Provides detailed reports that outline specific issues and solutions.

By combining the inherent security benefits of Erlang and Elixir with the proactive audit capabilities of SAFE, healthcare organisations can safeguard patient data, reduce risk, and stay compliant with regulations like HIPAA.

Conclusion

Big data is transforming healthcare by improving patient care and outcomes. However, with this growth comes the need to secure sensitive data and ensure compliance with regulations like HIPAA and GDPR.

Erlang and Elixir naturally address key security challenges, helping organisations protect patient information. Tools like SAFE identify vulnerabilities, reduce risks, and ensure compliance.

Ultimately, securing patient data is critical for maintaining trust and delivering quality care. If you would like to talk more about securing your systems or staying compliant, contact our team.

The post Understanding Big Data in Healthcare appeared first on Erlang Solutions .

The inaugural CodeBEAM Lite London conference was held at CodeNode last month, featuring 10 talks, 80 attendees, and an Erlang Solutions booth. There, attendees had the chance to set a high score in a BEAM-based asteroid game created by ESL’s Hernan Rivas Acosta, and win an Atari replica.

Learning from and networking with experts across the BEAM world was an exciting opportunity. Here are the highlights from the talks at the event.

Keynote: Gleam’s First Year

Louis Pilfold kicked things off with an opening keynote all about Gleam , the statically-typed BEAM language he designed and developed, and which announced its version 1.0 a year ago at FOSDEM in Brussels.

Louis laid out the primary goals of v1: productivity and sustainability, avoiding breaking changes and language bloat, and extensive, helpful, and easily navigable documentation. He then walked us through some of the progress made on Gleam in its first year of official release, with a particular focus on the many convenience and quality-of-life features of the language server, written in Rust. Finally, he measured Gleam’s success throughout 2024 in terms of Github usage and sponsorship money and looked forward to his goals for the language in 2025.

The Art of Writing Beautiful Code

“Make it work, then make it beautiful, then if you really, really have to, make it fast. 90 per cent of the time, if you make it beautiful, it will already be fast. So really, just make it beautiful!” Most of us are likely familiar with this famous Joe Armstrong quote, but what does it actually mean to write beautiful code?

This question was the focus of Brujo Benavides’ talk, a tour through various examples of “ugly” code in Erlang, some of which may well be considered beautiful by programmers trying to avoid repeating code. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what’s more important is that each project has a consistent definition of what “beautiful” means. Brujo explored different methods of achieving this consistency, and how to balance it with the need for fast commits of important changes in a project.

Why Livebook is My Dream Data Science Workbench

Amplified ’s Christopher Grainger took a more cerebral approach to his talk on Livebook, drawing on his background as both a historian and a data scientist to link the collaborative notebook software to a tradition of scientific collaboration dating back thousands of years.

In his view, the fragmentation of the digital age led to key components of this tradition being lost; he explored how LiveBook’s BEAM architecture brings it closer to being a digital equivalent of real-time collaboration in a lab than prior technologies like Jupyter Notebooks, and what further steps could be taken to get even closer to it in the future.

Deploying Elixir on Azure With Some Bonus Side Quests

Matteo Gheri of Pocketworks provided an industrial example of Elixir in action, explaining how his company used Azure in the course of building a Phoenix app for UK-based taxi company Veezu.

Azure is used to host only 3.2% of Elixir apps, and Matteo walked through their journey figuring it out in detail, touching on deployment, infrastructure, CI/CD, and the challenges they encountered.

Let’s Talk About Tests

Erlang Solutions’ own Natalia Chechina took the stage next for a dive into the question of tests. She explored ways of convincing managers of the importance of testing, which types of test to prioritise depending on the circumstances of the project, and how to best structure testing in order to prevent developers from burning out, stressing the importance of both making testing a key component of the development cycle and cultivating a positive attitude towards testing.

Eat Your Greens: A Philosophy for Language D esign

Replacing Guillaume Duboc’s cancelled talk on Elixir types was Peter Saxton, developer of a new language called Eat Your Greens (EYG). The philosophy behind the title refers to doing things that may be boring or unenjoyable but which lead to benefits in the long run, such as eating vegetables; Peter cited types as an example of this, and as such EYG is statically, structurally, and soundly typed. He then walked through other main features of his language, such as closure serialisation as JSON, hot code reloading, and the ability for it to be run entirely through keyboard shortcuts.

Trade-Offs Using JSON in Elixir 1.18: Wrappers vs. Erlang L ibraries

Michał Muskała has a long history working with JSON on the BEAM, starting with his development of the Jason parser and generator, first released in 2017. He talked us through that history; writing Jason, turning his focus to Erlang/OTP and proposing a JSON module there, and then building on that for the Elixir JSON module, now part of the standard library in 1.18.

He discussed the features of this new module, why it was better to use wrappers while transitioning to Elixir instead of calling Erlang directly, and how to simplify migration from Jason to JSON in advance of OTP 27 eventually being required by Elixir.

Distributed AtonVM: Let’s Create Clusters of Microcontrollers

A useless machine and a tiny, battery-free LED device played central roles in Paul Guyot’s dive into AtomVM , an Erlang- and Elixir-based virtual machine for microcontrollers. He kicked off by demonstrating La machine, the first commercial AtomVM product, albeit without an internet connection, before explaining AtomVM’s intended use in IoT devices, and the recent addition of distributed Erlang. This was backed up by another demonstration, this time of the appropriately named “2.5g of Erlang” device. Finally, he explained AtomVM’s advantages compared to other IoT VMs and identified the next steps for the project.

Erlang and RabbitMQ: The Erlang AMQP Client in Action

Katleho Kanyane from Erlang Solutions then provided another industry use case, discussing how he helped to implement a RabbitMQ publisher using the Erlang AMQP client library while working with a large fintech client. Katleho talked through some of the basics of RabbitMQ implementation, best practices, and two issues he ran into involving flow control, an overload prevention feature in RabbitMQ that throttles components and leads to drastically reduced transfer rates. He wrapped up by discussing lessons he learned from the process and laying out a few guidelines for designing a publisher.

Keynote: Introducing Tau5 – A New BEAM-Powered Live Coding Platform

The closing keynote was also the only talk of the day to kick off with a music video, though that should be expected when live coding artist and Sonic Pi creator Sam Aaron is the one delivering it. Sam spoke passionately about his goal to make programming something that everyone should be able to try without needing or wanting to become a professional and discussed his history of using Sonic Pi’s live coding software in education, including how he worked some complicated concepts such as concurrency in without confusing students or teachers.

He then discussed the limitations of Sonic Pi and how they are addressed by his new project, Tau5. While still in the proof-of-concept stage, Tau5 improves on Sonic Pi by being built on OTP from the ground up, being able to run in the browser, and including new features like visuals to add to live performances. He concluded with a demonstration of Tau5 and an explanation of his intentions for the project.

Final Thoughts

CodeBEAM Lite London 2025 was a fantastic day filled with fascinating talks, cool demos, and plenty more to excite any BEAM enthusiast. From hearing about the latest Gleam developments to diving into live coding with Tau5, it was clear that the community is thriving and full of creative energy. Whether it was learning tips for practical BEAM use or exploring cutting-edge new tools and languages, there was something for everyone.

If you missed out this time, don’t worry: you’ll be welcome at the next one, and we hope to see you there. Until then, keep building, keep experimenting, and above all keep having fun with the BEAM!

The post Highlights from CodeBEAM Lite London appeared first on Erlang Solutions .

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is now in effect as of 17th January 2025, making compliance mandatory for fintech companies, financial institutions, and ICT providers across the UK and EU. With over 22,000 businesses impacted, DORA sets clear expectations for how firms must manage operational resilience and protect against cyber threats.

As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, regulatory action has followed. DORA is designed to ensure that businesses have the right security measures in place to handle disruptions, prevent data breaches, and stay operational under pressure.

Yet, despite having time to prepare, 43% of organisations admit they won’t be fully compliant for at least another three months. But non-compliance isn’t just a delay. It comes with serious risks, including penalties and reputational damage.

So, what does DORA mean for your fintech business? Why is compliance so important, and how can you make sure you meet the requirements?

What is DORA?

With technology at the heart of financial services, the risks associated with cyber threats and ICT disruptions have never been higher. The European Parliament introduced the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA ) to strengthen the financial sector’s ability to withstand and recover from these digital risks.

Originally drafted in September 2020 and ratified in 2022, DORA officially came into force in January 2025. It establishes strict requirements for managing ICT risks, ensuring financial institutions follow clear protection, detection, containment, recovery, and repair guidelines.

A New Approach to Cybersecurity

This regulation marks a major step forward in cybersecurity, prioritising operational resilience to keep businesses running even in the face of severe cyber threats or major ICT failures. Compliance will be monitored through a unified supervisory approach, with the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) working alongside national regulators to enforce the new standards.

A report from the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA, and ESMA) highlighted that in 2024, of the registers analysed during a ‘dry run’ exercise involving nearly 1,000 financial entities across the EU, just 6.5% passed all data quality checks . This shows just how demanding the requirements are, and the importance of getting it right early for a smooth path to compliance.

The Five Pillars of DORA

DORA introduces firm rules on ICT risk management, incident reporting, resilience testing, and oversight of third-party providers. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, compliance depends on factors like company size, risk tolerance, and the type of ICT systems used. However, at its core, DORA is built around five key pillars that form the foundation of a strong operational resilience framework.

Source: Zapoj

These pillars also serve as the basis for a DORA compliance checklist , which businesses can use to ensure they meet regulatory requirements.

Below is a breakdown of each pillar and what businesses need to do to comply:

1. ICT Risk Management

Businesses must establish a framework to identify, assess, and mitigate ICT risks. This includes:

• Conducting regular risk assessments to spot vulnerabilities.
• Implementing security controls to address identified risks.
• Developing a clear incident response plan to handle disruptions effectively.

2. ICT-Related Incident Reporting

Companies must have structured processes to detect, report, and investigate ICT-related incidents. This involves:

• Setting up clear reporting channels for ICT issues.
• Classifying incidents by severity to determine response urgency.
• Notifying relevant authorities promptly when serious incidents occur.

3. Digital Operational Resilience Testing

Financial institutions are required to test their ICT systems regularly to ensure they can withstand cyber threats and operational disruptions . This includes:

• Running simulated attack scenarios to test security defences.
• Assessing the effectiveness of existing resilience measures.
• Continuously improving systems based on test results.

4. ICT Third-Party Risk Management

DORA highlights the importance of managing risks linked to third-party ICT providers . Businesses must:

• Conduct due diligence before working with external service providers.
• Establish contractual agreements outlining security expectations.
• Continuously monitor third-party performance to ensure compliance.

5. Information Sharing

Collaboration is a key part of DORA, with financial institutions encouraged to share cyber threat intelligence . This may include:

• Participating in industry forums to stay informed about emerging threats.
• Sharing threat intelligence with peers to strengthen collective defences.
• Conducting joint cybersecurity exercises to improve incident response.

By following these five pillars, businesses can build a strong foundation for digital resilience . Compliance isn’t just about meeting regulatory requirements, it’s about safeguarding operations, protecting customers, and strengthening the financial sector against growing cyber threats.

How to Achieve DORA Compliance for Your Business

Regardless of the stage of compliance a business is in, there are a few key areas that must be focused on to protect themselves. Here’s what you need to do:

Understand DORA’s Scope and Requirements

The first step to DORA compliance is understanding what’s required. Take the time to familiarise yourself with its requirements and ask any questions.

Conduct a Risk Assessment

A solid risk assessment is at the heart of DORA compliance. Identify and evaluate risks across your ICT systems—this includes everything from cyber threats to software glitches. Understanding these risks helps you plan how to minimise their impact on your operations.

Create a Resilience Strategy

With your risk assessment in hand, develop a tailored resilience strategy. This should include:

• Preventive Measures : Set up cyber defences and redundancy systems to prevent disruptions.
• Detection Systems : Ensure you can quickly spot any anomalies or threats.
• Response and Recovery Plans : Have clear plans in place to respond and recover if an incident happens.

Invest in Cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure

To meet DORA compliance for business, invest in strong cybersecurity tools like firewalls and encryption. Ensure your IT infrastructure is resilient, with reliable backup and recovery systems to minimise disruptions.

Strengthen Incident Reporting

DORA stresses the importance of quick and accurate incident reporting. Establish clear channels for detecting and reporting ICT incidents, ensuring timely updates to authorities when needed.

Build a Culture of Resilience

Resilience is an ongoing effort. To stay compliant, create a culture where resilience is top of mind:

• Provide regular staff training .
• Regularly test and audit your systems.
• Stay updated on emerging risks and technologies.

Partner with IT Experts

DORA compliance can be tricky, especially if your team lacks in-house expertise. Partnering with IT service providers who specialise in compliance can help you meet DORA’s requirements more smoothly.

Consequences for Non-Compliance

We’ve already established the importance of meeting DORA’s strict mandates. But failing to comply with these regulations can have serious consequences for businesses- from hefty fines to operational restrictions. Here’s what businesses need to be aware of to protect their organisation:

Fines for Non-Compliance

• Up to 2% of global turnover or €10 million, whichever is higher, for non-compliant financial institutions.
• Third-party ICT providers could face fines as high as €5 million or 1% of daily global turnover for each day of non-compliance.
• Failure to report major incidents within 4 hours can lead to further penalties.

Reputational Damage and Leadership Liability

• Public notices of breaches can cause lasting reputational damage, affecting business trust and relationships.
• Business leaders can face personal fines of up to €1 million for failing to ensure compliance.

Operational Restrictions

• Regulators can limit or suspend business activities until compliance is achieved.
• Data traffic records can be requested from telecommunications operators if there’s suspicion of a breach.

How Erlang Solutions Can Help You with DORA Compliance

Don’t panic, prioritise. If you’ve identified that your business may be at risk of non-compliance, taking action now is key. Erlang Solutions can support you in meeting DORA’s requirements through our Security Audit for Erlang and Elixir (SAFE) .

With extensive experience in the financial sector, we understand the critical need for resilient, scalable systems. Our expertise with Erlang and Elixir has helped leading fintech institutions, including Klarna, Vocalink, and Ericsson , build fault-tolerant, high-performing and compliant systems.

SAFE is aligned with several key areas of DORA, including ICT risk management, resilience testing, and third-party risk management:

• Proactive Risk Identification and Mitigation : SAFE identifies vulnerabilities and provides recommendations to address risks before they become critical. This proactive approach supports DORA’s requirements for continuous ICT risk management.
• Continuous Monitoring Capabilities : SAFE allows ongoing monitoring of your systems, which aligns with DORA’s emphasis on continuous risk detection and mitigation.
• Detailed Incident Response Recommendations : SAFE’s detailed findings help you refine your incident response and recovery plans, ensuring your systems are prepared to quickly recover from cyberattacks or disruptions.

Third-Party Risk Management : The security audit can provide insights into your third-party integrations, helping to ensure they meet necessary security standards and comply with DORA’s requirements.

Conclusion

DORA compliance is now in effect, making it essential to act if your business isn’t fully compliant. Delays can lead to penalties and increased risk exposure. Prioritising ICT risk management, strengthening resilience, and ensuring proper incident reporting will bring you closer to compliance. But this isn’t just about meeting requirements, it’s about safeguarding your organisation and building long-term operational resilience.

If you have compliance concerns or just want to talk through your next steps, we’re here to help. Contact us to talk through your options.

The post DORA Compliance: What Fintech Businesses Need to Know appeared first on Erlang Solutions .

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In this post, I will share the results of the Women in BEAM 2024 survey . But first, I would like to share my experience in the BEAM community to understand the motivation behind this initiative.

My journey

I’ve been working with Elixir since 2018, but my interest in it wasn’t driven by technical advantages—it was sparked by my experience at my first ElixirConf in Mexico.

Since 2017, I’ve been involved in initiatives supporting women in tech, frequently attending events to learn and observe industry gender gaps. A major challenge I noticed was the barrier of seniority—many talks were difficult to follow for newcomers, and women, already underrepresented (often less than 30% of attendees), could feel even more excluded. Unfortunately, I grew used to this dynamic, but it was always awkward.

In 2018, I was invited to ElixirConf Lite in Mexico City. From the start, I felt welcomed—no barriers, no judgment, just an open and friendly community. Inspired by this inclusivity, I decided to explore Elixir, later falling in love with its technical strengths.

Since then, I’ve combined my passions for diversity in tech and Elixir. A few months ago, I committed to a focused initiative: the survey.

Background

I have been part of the Code BEAM America committee during the last three editions. I know the efforts made to have a gender-balanced panel and promote diversity at the conference, such as the Diversity & Inclusion Programme . Initiatives that have undoubtedly yielded results.

For example, the following graph corresponds to the number of women at CodeBEAM America since 2015:

There is an increase between each edition for almost all of them, and there are some, such as the one in March 2021, where the percentage is nearly a quarter. However, getting female speakers remains a challenge every year.

I know many women working with Elixir and some with Erlang or Gleam. When I invite them to give a talk, their common response is, “ Oh! I don’t think I have anything interesting to share”. I know it’s not true, but I don’t blame them because I know the feeling. Sometimes, I have stopped sharing content or talks for fear of not having enough experience, and I often get so nervous that I let the impostor syndrome win.

As I mentioned earlier, my initial reason for getting interested in Elixir was inclusion. During all these years, I have never had a bad experience in the community, which led me to wonder what is behind these barriers. The cultural context has a lot to do with it, and it is not something specific to the BEAM community; however, I was interested in learning more about other women’s perspectives on the topic.
There were a good number of responses for this first edition, and based on the open responses, I decided to focus the results on four main sections: Diversity in Roles , Challenges for Junior Developers , Programming Language Preferences , and Diversity and Inclusion .

Survey Highlights

The survey included many open-ended questions, and while all responses were different, some aspects were repeated across many, so the sections below are grouped based on similar responses.

Diversity in Roles

I decided to start with this section because role diversity is directly related to the topic of role models, which, from my perspective, is a determining factor in promoting greater participation of women in the BEAM community.

According to this article , women occupy only 11% of leadership positions in technology . This represents a barrier for women working in the industry and new generations, who may not easily see themselves reflected in these numbers. Aspiring to a leadership position is much easier when you have an example in mind, whether it’s a public figure, a teacher, a coworker, etc. This also applies to open-source contributions, technical talks, and more.

Therefore, it is essential to highlight the diversity of responses to the question about the primary role.
The majority of women surveyed indicated that they are Software Developers/Engineers . I wasn’t surprised since most women I know in the community play this role, but I was thrilled that this wasn’t the only answer, so let’s dig deeper into those who indicated they played a different role.

• One woman shared that she is dedicated to research and teaching , a direct way to pass on knowledge and experience. BEAM languages are often overlooked in education, as functional programming isn’t typically prioritised, but having a mentor can change that.

A teacher can encourage event participation, recommend key books, and even organise group attendance. Most importantly, integrating Elixir or Erlang into lessons sparks interest in new learners. Research also plays a vital role, inspiring students to explore deeply and cultivate the curiosity we value in the community.

• There is one mention of a Technical Leader and two of an Engineering Manager , both refer to leadership positions that can represent role models for those aspiring to be team leaders and manage greater responsibilities. It is important to mention that the years of experience are different for the three answers. This breaks the myth that a position is associated with years of experience rather than with the knowledge and value these women bring to a team.

• One respondent is a student , though her school level isn’t specified, so it’s unclear if she had prior BEAM experience. Still, it’s clear the BEAM community has successfully expanded its reach—not just in the workplace but also among students who can share their enthusiasm with peers and teachers.

Finally, there is a Project Manager answer, which is a big plus for someone working with a team of developers. Experience in the technical side and the technologies used in a project or team allows for a deeper understanding and better technical suggestions; she can encourage attendance at events to improve the team’s skills and promote using BEAM languages ​​in other areas.

Challenges for Junior Developers

This section is interesting as the survey had no direct questions about juniors and their challenges. Still, I decided to add it because there was an open question about how easy it was for women to get a BEAM-related job. Even those who indicated that from their perspective it was easily mentioned that it depends on the years of experience and that for juniors, it is complex because companies prefer to hire someone with previous experience rather than train someone. Let’s analyze the answers:

Most women surveyed said they had between 3 and 5 years of experience working with a BEAM programming language.

57.1% of the total indicated that they currently have a BEAM-related job , but despite this, 71.4% consider that it is not easy to find job opportunities.

The reasons are mainly related to two factors: one is that on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, there are not as many offers as other technologies, and they do not know which other pages or media to look at. The second reason is due to the challenges that juniors face, and we will delve into that one for now.

“It is difficult to get a job because (BEAM technologies) are not broadly used, and it is harder for many people to have previous production experience.”

Many of the responses in this section agree that it is relatively easy to get a BEAM job when you already have at least two years of experience.

“If you are a junior developer, getting a job is very hard / Most companies only offer senior positions.”

I understand the problem, and in the end, it becomes a vicious circle: someone with no experience can’t get a job, but how can she get it if she can’t join a team? So, talking about external expertise beyond what a company can provide is essential.

I love working with Elixir because you can start a project from scratch and see results quickly. The documentation and resources—tutorials, blogs, and books—are excellent, and the same likely applies to languages like Gleam.

You can build experience through personal projects, coding challenges, or even creating a website. I enjoy writing to reinforce my learning, and if you do too, I encourage you to start a blog—it’s a great way to gain experience and make yourself visible.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• The Elixir programming language
• Erlang/OTP
• Gleam programming language
• Events and resources (community wiki)

Another indirect way to gain experience is by attending events. The 68.6% of women surveyed stated that they like attending virtual and in-person events, and 28.6% indicated that they only like virtual events.

Attending meetups and conferences helps you learn about current technical challenges, BEAM updates, etc. Even if you are starting, it will give you an idea of ​​the topics you can focus on.

These actions may seem irrelevant since they are not the same as saying that you have x years of experience in a company, but they will undoubtedly make a difference. They will also help you find the area where you would like to specialize or learn more, get to know the community, and open the possibility of finding mentors.

Programming Language Preferences

I’m an Elixir developer, so I initially decided to focus the survey on just that programming language, as it’s familiar to me. However, seeing content about Erlang and Gleam in the community is becoming more common, so I decided not to limit it, and I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of responses.

Most women indicated that Elixir is the primary programming language they use , but it was not the only one. In this question, 14.3% indicated they work with Erlang and 11.4% with Gleam.

Additionally, the survey included a question about other technologies, either as a hobby or as a secondary language. Most women working with Elixir as a primary technology indicated that they were experimenting with Erlang as an additional language and vice versa . This is not surprising, as if you work with Elixir and dig into the fundamentals, you must explore Erlang. On the other hand, if your primary programming language is Erlang, it can be pretty fun and easy to explore Elixir.

Something else worth mentioning in this question was that there was a mention of LFE and EML . I was surprised because at least I don’t know both fundamentals, but it made me think about everything I still have to explore in BEAM and the alternative options. In some way, it also motivated me to investigate more about it, and that is precisely the meaning of the community: sharing knowledge .

As an extra, someone else mentioned that although it wasn’t a programming language per se, their favorite secondary technology was LiveView .If you, like me, are curious to explore everything that BEAM has to offer, you can find out more about it in the following list: Languages, and about languages, on the BEAM .

Diversity and Inclusion

I believe diversity and inclusion are strongly promoted in the BEAM community, setting it apart from other technologies. I was eager to hear other women’s perspectives, whether they share this view, and what actions we can take to improve further.

This section explores several related questions in depth, but the key takeaway is that most agree diversity and inclusion are actively encouraged in the community.

Of the total number of women surveyed, 82.9% consider that diversity and inclusion are promoted in the BEAM community, compared to 17.1% who think they are not.

Women who think no, indicated that this is because they know few or no other women in the company who work with any BEAM programming language and they do not know of any initiatives working on this topic, however, there is no reason beyond that, they have never had any gender issues and they like to attend community events.

On the other hand, women who believe that these topics are promoted shared that the main reason is thanks to the warmth of the people. For example, at events where they felt safe to share without fear of being judged, or when you contact one of the pioneers on social media and have support and even mentoring in some cases.

“From my experience at Code BEAM Europe , the BEAM community felt very welcoming. It seemed like a space where people could make mistakes, try new things, and learn together. That openness makes it easier for different perspectives to be part of the conversation.”

So far, so good, the general outlook is positive, but there is a tricky aspect to mention: 4 women reported having had gender problems in the community. This question was a one-way question and I did not go into the subject in depth so as not to make these women uncomfortable, but it is certainly an aspect that needs to be worked on.

This gives us a lead into the next section, the steps to follow.

Actionable Steps

The actions listed here aren’t solely focused on gender issues but aim to make the BEAM community more inclusive, based on suggestions from the women surveyed.

Gender Policies and Codes of Conduct

Many respondents highlighted the need for clear gender policies and better awareness of them. They support reinforcing codes of conduct at conferences, ensuring attendees know who to contact if issues arise.

One woman admired a company’s anti-harassment policy, and I agree—though few respondents reported problems, we must not minimise the issue. Strong community support makes addressing misconduct easier.

Spaces Dedicated to Women in BEAM

This was a recurring theme. Many women cited impostor syndrome as a barrier to participation and expressed interest in safe spaces to ask questions, practise talks, and seek advice.

“In my case, I don’t feel 100% comfortable in the environment but I am not sure how to promote greater participation. Maybe it will help if we create a small subgroup for women/nonbinary in the community to promote ourselves or to share projects and ideas.”

“Create women’s support groups. Where we can have learning sessions, mentors, talk about the working environment, talk about career levels to look forward to, give advice, etc.”

Support for beginners

Going back to the topic of the challenges faced by juniors, some of the suggestions are also to promote more content for those women who have little or no experience with BEAM and especially focus on the reasons why it is worth giving it a try.

Role Models

This is definitely my favourite measure. I have always been a supporter of promoting role models in technology to encourage more girls and teenagers to become interested in this, so I was delighted to know that this is a common opinion.

Many of the women surveyed pointed out that having a role model in the community can help with the goal of getting more women interested and participating.

“Highlighting the work of women already active in the community can make a difference. Seeing other women as speakers and leaders may encourage more to step forward.”

“I think the more visible women are in the community, the more women will participate.”

“Just seeing other women speak is an example to me. Seeing others who are relatable to me helps me realize I can just get up there and be me and speak on something I am interested in.”

These are just a few of the related responses.

Acknowledgements

I would like to take this opportunity to mention the names of the people who came up in the survey, as many of the women mentioned that they do not have a female role model, but that along the way they have met men who support diversity and would like to acknowledge that.

Laura Castro , Elaine Naomi , “ Tobias Pfeiffer who really advocates for diversity”, Robert Virding , Peer Stritzinger , Sigu Magwa , Sophie Benedetto , “Female role models are Ingela Andin from the OTP team, her history and dedication to working with the BEAM are great, and Hayleigh from the Gleam team, she is such a brilliant person”, “Some of my favourite folks I have seen speak, and who make me feel included in the community are: Meks McClure , Miki Rezentes , Jenny Bramble ”, and to the women who mentioned me, thank you so much, I want to tell you that you made me smile a lot.

Women in BEAM Conclusion

I would like to thank all the women who took part in the survey, and to everyone who shared it on social media or with colleagues. Most of all, thank you to those who care about diversity and inclusion and work to make the BEAM community better every day.

I’ll be following up on all the comments and suggestions, and some women have even reached out to collaborate, which I’ll also pursue. Based on the responses, I’ve decided to make the survey an annual initiative. The details are still in the works, but I’ll keep you updated.

Lastly, thanks to all the role models in companies, schools, and the community, who inspire more women to discover how incredible Women in BEAM is.

See you in the next edition!

The post Women in BEAM appeared first on Erlang Solutions .

Digital wallets, once considered futuristic, have now become essential tools for both consumers and businesses. But what are digital wallets , and why should you care about them? Customer expectations are changing. Many companies are turning to them to streamline transactions and enhance the customer experience

This guide unpacks the fundamentals of digital wallets, highlighting their benefits, market trends, and implications for businesses.

What Are Digital Wallets?

Digital wallets (or e-wallets) have changed the way we make and receive payments. By 2025, digital payments are expected to account for 50% of global payments .

At their core, digital wallets store a user’s payment information, securely encrypted for seamless transactions. This could involve credit card details, bank accounts, or even cryptocurrencies.

Apple Pay , Google Wallet , PayPal , and Samsung Pay have become household names, but the ecosystem is much broader and growing rapidly as more industries recognise their potential. Digital wallets simplify purchases and integrate with loyalty programmes, personal finance management, and even identity verification , offering a comprehensive solution for consumers and businesses alike.

How Do Digital Wallets Work?

Digital wallets offer a secure and straightforward way to manage transactions. In a time when data breaches are increasingly common, security has never been more important. With cybercrime damages projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually in 2025 , they play a major role in keeping financial information safe.

Here’s how they work. First, you link your financial details to the wallet. This could mean adding a credit card or connecting a bank account. Once your details are in, the wallet uses encryption and tokenisation to protect your sensitive information, converting it into a secure format that’s almost impossible for unauthorised parties to access.

When you make a payment, the process is quick and simple: tap, scan, or click. Behind the scenes, your digital wallet securely communicates with the payment processor to authorise the transaction. With advanced security measures like encryption and tokenisation, digital wallets not only reduce the risk of fraud but also allow for a seamless and reliable user experience.

Types of Digital Wallets

Now let’s explore the various types of digital wallets available:

1. Closed wallets

2. Semi-closed wallets

Semi-closed wallets like Paytm or Venmo, allow payments at select merchant locations or online stores that accept their platform.

3. Open wallets

Backed by major financial institutions, open wallets allow broader transactions, including withdrawals, online purchases, and transfers. Popular examples include PayPal and Google Pay .

4. Prepaid Wallets

Prepaid wallets let you load funds in advance, so you use only what’s available. Once the balance is depleted, you just reload the wallet. This approach is great for budgeting.

Choosing the right digital wallet depends on your business model.

Whether you’re looking for customer loyalty through closed wallets or broader international reach with open wallets, selecting the right type will drive better engagement and efficiency.

Why Should Businesses Care?

The rise of digital wallets represents a strategic opportunity for businesses to serve their customers better and improve their bottom line. Here’s why:

Enhanced customer experience

Digital wallets streamline the checkout process, reducing friction and improving customer satisfaction. Features like one-click payments and loyalty integrations can drive repeat business.

Improved security

Tokenisation and encryption reduce the risks associated with traditional payment methods. This not only protects users but also helps businesses build trust.

Cost efficiency

Payment processors for digital wallets often charge lower fees than those for traditional credit card transactions, which can run as high as 3%. Depending on the provider, digital wallets can significantly cut these costs.

Global reach

For companies aiming to expand internationally, digital wallets simplify cross-border transactions by supporting multiple currencies.

Digital wallets offer tangible benefits: enhanced customer experience, improved security, and cost efficiency. Businesses that integrate them can streamline payments and improve retention and satisfaction, driving growth.

Integrating Digital Wallets into Your Business

Before jumping into digital wallets, it’s worth taking a moment to plan things out. A bit of strategy can go a long way.

Here are some key things to keep in mind:

• Know what your customers want : Look at your data or run a quick survey to find out which wallets your customers use most.
• Pick the right payment processor : Go for a provider that supports lots of wallets. This gives you flexibility and makes it easier to grow.
• Focus on security : Work with experts, like Erlang Solutions , to help build secure systems that keep data safe and meet the necessary guidelines around payments.
• Test, optimise and refine : Start with a proof of concept to see how things work. We can help you get this done quickly so you can adjust and stay ahead of the game.

By understanding what your customers need and choosing flexible payment options, you can bring digital wallets into your business without any hiccups. Picking the right tech also means your operations keep running smoothly while you embrace innovations.

Challenges and Considerations

While digital wallets offer numerous benefits, they’re not without challenges:

• Adoption barriers : Older demographics or tech-averse users may still prefer traditional payment methods. According to AARP , about 50% of older adults in the U.S. feel uncomfortable with new payment technologies. Businesses need strategies to educate and ease this transition.
  
• Risk of fraud : While secure, digital wallets are not immune to hacking or phishing attacks. Companies must ensure continuous security updates and user education on best practices.
• Regulatory compliance : Navigating the global landscape of payment regulations can be complex. From GDPR to PSP2 , businesses must comply with relevant laws, especially when handling international transactions.

While digital wallets offer advantages, businesses must address adoption barriers, security concerns, and regulatory compliance. Preparing for these challenges allows for a smooth transition and mitigates potential risks.

Industries Using Digital Wallets

We’ve established how digital wallets are revolutionising the way we handle payments, making transactions faster, safer, and more convenient. There are some industries to highlight that are making the most of this technology.

Fintech

In the fintech world, digital wallets have become indispensable. For instance, Erlang Solutions collaborated with TeleWare to enhance their Re:Call app with secure instant messaging capabilities for a major UK financial services group. By integrating MongooseIM, they ensured compliance with strict regulatory requirements while improving user experience.

E-commerce

Online shopping has been transformed by digital wallets. In 2021, a quarter of all UK transactions were made using digital wallets, and this trend is expected to grow by 18.9% through 2028. Features like biometric authentication not only make the checkout process quicker but also enhance security, leading to happier customers and increased loyalty.

Gaming

Gamers love convenience, and digital wallets deliver just that.

By consolidating various payment methods, wallets like PayPal and Google Pay make in-game purchases seamless. This ease of use not only reduces transaction fees but also keeps players engaged, boosting customer retention.

Banking

Traditional banks are catching up by integrating digital wallets into their services. These wallets often combine payment processing with features like loyalty programmes and travel card integration. Advanced security measures, including biometric authentication, ensure that customers feel secure while enjoying personalised, cashless payment solutions.

The Future of Digital Wallets

The future of digital wallets lies in innovation.

Here are just some of the trends we are poised to see shape the landscape in the next few years:

• Integration with wearable tech: Smartwatches and fitness trackers will make payments even more convenient.
• Biometric authentication : Consumers increasingly demand convenience without sacrificing security. Biometric features such as fingerprint recognition, voice ID, and facial scans will become commonplace, providing higher protection.
• Cryptocurrency support : As digital currencies gain acceptance, more wallets are supporting crypto transactions. With over 300 million cryptocurrency users worldwide, businesses must be ready to accommodate this growing market.

You can explore even more key digital payment trends here .

Staying ahead of these trends will position your business as a forward-thinking leader in the digital economy.

To conclude

Digital wallets aren’t just another way to pay; they’re a game-changer for improving customer experience, boosting security, and driving growth. Nearly half the world’s consumers are already using them, and with transaction values expected to hit over $10 trillion by 2026, they’re becoming a must-have for businesses.

The big question for leaders isn’t whether to integrate them, but how to do it right. Now’s the perfect time to get started. By focusing on secure tech, understanding your customers, and keeping an eye on trends, you can unlock massive benefits. Erlang Solutions has the expertise to help you build digital wallet solutions that are secure and scalable. Ready to chat about your strategy? Drop us a message today .

The post Understanding Digital Wallets appeared first on Erlang Solutions .

For many years, I have heard countless justifications for keeping messaging systems closed. Many of us have tried to rationalize walled gardens for various reasons:

• Closed messaging systems supposedly enable faster progress, as there’s no need to collaborate on shared specifications or APIs. You can change course more easily.
• Closed messaging systems are better for security, spam, or whatever other risks we imagine, because owners feel they have better control of what goes in and out.
• Closed messaging systems are said to foster innovation by protecting the network owner’s investments.

But is any of this really true? Let’s take a step back and examine these claims.

A Brief History of Messaging Tools

Until the 1990s, messaging systems were primarily focused on building communities. The dominant protocol of the time was IRC (Internet Relay Chat) . While IRC allowed private messaging, its main purpose was to facilitate large chatrooms where people with shared interests could hang out and interact.

In the 1990s, messaging evolved into a true communication tool, offering an alternative to phone calls. It enabled users to stay in touch with friends and family while forging new connections online. With the limitations of the dial-up era, where users weren’t always connected, asynchronous communication became the norm. Features like offline messages and presence indicators emerged, allowing users to see at a glance who was online, available, or busy.

The revolution began with ICQ , quickly followed by competitors like Yahoo! Messenger and MSN Messenger . However, this proliferation of platforms created a frustrating experience: your contacts were spread across different networks, requiring multiple accounts and clients. Multiprotocol clients like Meebo and Pidgin emerged, offering a unified interface for these networks. Still, they often relied on unofficial protocol implementations, which were unreliable and lacked key features compared to native clients.

To address these issues, a group of innovators in 1999 set out to design a better solution—an open instant messaging protocol that revolved around two fundamental principles:

1. Federation : A federated protocol would allow users on any server to communicate seamlessly with users on other servers. This design was essential for scalability, as supporting billions of users on a single platform was unimaginable at the time.
2. Gateway Support : The protocol would include gateways to existing networks, enabling users to connect with contacts on other platforms transparently, without needing to juggle multiple applications. The gateways were implemented on the server-side, allowing fast iterations on gateway code.

This initiative, originally branded as Jabber , gave rise to XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) , a protocol standardized by the IETF. XMPP gained traction, with support from several open-source servers and clients. Major players adopted the protocol—Google for Google Talk and Facebook for Facebook Messenger , enabling third-party XMPP clients to connect to their services. The future of open messaging looked promising.

Fast Forward 20 Years

Today, that optimism has faded. Few people know about XMPP or its newer counterpart, Matrix. Google’s messaging services have abandoned XMPP, Facebook has closed its XMPP gateways, and the landscape has returned to the fragmentation of the past.

Instead of Yahoo! Messenger and MSN, we now deal with WhatsApp , Facebook Messenger , Telegram , Google Chat , Signal , and even messaging features within social networks like Instagram and LinkedIn. Our contacts are scattered across these platforms, forcing us to switch between apps just as we did in the 1990s.

What Went Wrong?

Many of these platforms initially adopted XMPP, including Google, Facebook, and even WhatsApp. However, their focus on growth led them to abandon federation. Requiring users to create platform-specific accounts became a key strategy for locking in users and driving their friends to join the same network. Federation, while technically advantageous, was seen as a barrier to user acquisition and growth.

The Big Heist

The smartphone era marked a turning point in messaging, fueled by always-on connectivity and the rise of app stores. Previously, deploying an app at scale required agreements with mobile carriers to preload the app on the phones they sold. Carriers acted as gatekeepers, tightly controlling app distribution. However, the introduction of app stores and data plans changed everything. These innovations empowered developers to bypass carriers and build their own networks on top of carrier infrastructure—a phenomenon known as over-the-top (OTT) applications .

Among these new apps was WhatsApp , which revolutionized messaging in several ways. Initially, WhatsApp relied on Apple’s Push Notification Service to deliver messages in real time, bypassing the need for a complex infrastructure at launch. Its true breakthrough, however, was the decision to use phone numbers as user identifiers —a bold move that set a significant precedent. At the time, most messaging platforms avoided this approach because phone numbers were closely tied to SMS, and validating them via SMS codes came with significant costs.

WhatsApp cleverly leveraged this existing, international system of telecommunication identifiers to bootstrap its proprietary network. By using phone numbers, it eliminated the need for users to create, manage and share separate accounts, simplifying onboarding. WhatsApp also capitalized on the high cost of SMS at the time. Since short messages were often not unlimited, and international SMS was especially expensive, many users found it cheaper to rely on data plans or Wi-Fi to message friends and family—particularly across borders.

When we launched our own messaging app, TextOne (now discontinued), we considered using phone numbers as identifiers but ultimately decided against it. Forcing users to disclose such personal information felt intrusive and misaligned with privacy principles. By then, the phone had shifted from being a shared household device to a deeply personal one, making phone numbers uniquely tied to individual identities.

Later, Whatsapp launched its own infrastructure based on ejabberd, but they kept their service closed. At that time, we also considered using phone number when launching our own messaging app, the now discontinued TextOne, but refused to use that. It did not feel right, as you were forcing people to disclose an important private information. As the phone had become a personnal device, instead of a household device, the phone number played the role of unique identifier for a single individual.

Unfortunately, most major players seeking to scale their messaging platforms adopted the phone number as a universal identifier. WhatsApp’s early adoption of this strategy helped it rapidly amass a billion users, giving it a decisive first-mover advantage. However, it wasn’t the only player to recognize and exploit the power of phone numbers in building massive-scale networks. Today, the phone number is arguably the most accurate global identifier for individuals, serving as a cornerstone of the flourishing data economy.

What’s Wrong With Using Phone Numbers as IDs?

Phone numbers are a common good —a foundation of global communication. They rely on the principle of universal accessibility: you can reach anyone, anywhere in the world, regardless of their phone provider or location. This system was built on international cooperation, with a branch of the United Nations playing a key role in maintaining a provider-agnostic, interoperable platform. At its core is a globally unique phone numbering system, created through collaborative standards and protocols.

However, over-the-top (OTT) companies have exploited this infrastructure to build private networks on top of the public system. They’ve leveraged the universal identification scheme of phone numbers—and, by extension, the global interoperable network—to construct proprietary, closed ecosystems.

To me, this feels like a misuse of a common good. Phone numbers, produced through international cooperation, should not be appropriated freely by private corporations without accountability. While it may be too late to reverse this trend, we should consider a contribution system for companies that store and use phone numbers as identifiers.

For example, companies that maintain databases with millions of unique phone numbers could be required to pay an annual fee for each phone number they store. This fee could be distributed to the countries associated with those numbers. Such a system would achieve two things:

1. Encourage Accountability : Companies would need to evaluate whether collecting and storing phone numbers is truly essential for their business. If the data isn’t valuable enough to justify the cost, they might choose not to collect it.
2. Promote Fairness : For companies that rely heavily on phone numbers to track, match, and build private, non-interoperable services, this fee would act as a fair contribution, akin to taxes paid for using public road infrastructure.

It looks a lot to me that the phone number is a common good produced and use by international cooperation. It is too late to prevent it to be used by Big Tech companies. However, it may seem fair to imagine a contribution from company storing phone number. This is a data that is not their property and not theirs to use. Shouldn&apost we consider a tax on phone numbers storage and usage ? For example, if a company store a millions unique phone number in their database, why not require a yearly fee, to be paid to each country that any phone number is associated to, one yearly fee per phone number ?

Company would have to think twice about storing such personnal data. Is it valuable for your business ? If it is not valuable enough, fair enough, delete them and do not ask them, but if you need it to trakt and match user and build a private non interoperable service, then paying a fair contribution for their usage should be considered. It would be like the tax they pay to leverage road infrastructure in countries where they operate.

Beyond Taxes: The Push for Interoperability

Of course, a contribution system alone won’t solve the larger issue. We also need a significant push toward interoperable and federated messaging . While the European Digital Markets Act (DMA) includes an interoperability requirement, it doesn’t go far enough. Interoperability alone cannot address the challenges of closed ecosystems.

I’ll delve deeper into why interoperability must be paired with federation in a future article, as this is a critical piece of the puzzle.

Interoperability vs. Velocity

To conclude, I’d like to reference the introduction of the IETF SPIN draft , which perfectly encapsulates the trade-offs between interoperability and innovation:

Voice, video and messaging today is commonplace on the Internet, enabled by two distinct classes of software. The first are those provided by telecommunications carriers that make heavy use of standards, such as the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) [RFC3261]. In this approach - which we call the telco model - there is interoperability between different telcos, but the set of features and functionality is limited by the rate of definition and adoption of standards, often measured in years or decades. The second model - the app model - allows a single entity to offer an application, delivering both the server side software and its corresponding client-side software. The client-side software is delivered either as a web application, or as a mobile application through a mobile operating system app store. The app model has proven incredibly successful by any measure. It trades off interoperability for innovation and velocity.

The downside of the loss of interoperability is that entry into the market place by new providers is difficult. Applications like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Facetime, have user bases numbering in the hundreds of millions to billions of users. Any new application cannot connect with these user bases, requiring the vendor of the new app to bootstrap its own network effects.

This summary aligns closely with the ideas I’ve explored in this article.

I believe we’ve reached a point where we need interoperability far more than continued innovation in voice, video, and messaging. While innovation in these areas has been remarkable, we have perhaps been too eager—or too blind—to sacrifice interoperability in the name of progress.

Now, the pendulum is poised to swing back. Centralization must give way to federation if we are to maintain the universality that once defined global communication. Without federation, there can be no true global and universal service, and without universality, we risk regressing, fragmenting all our communication systems into isolated and proprietary silos.

It’s time to prioritize interoperability, to reclaim the vision of a truly connected world where communication is open, accessible, and universal.

Fluux is our ejabberd Business Edition cloud service. With a subscription, we deploy, manage, update and scale an instance of our most scalable messaging server. Up to now, if you wanted to deploy several services, you had to create another account with a different email. Starting today, you can manage and pay for different servers from a single Fluux account.

Here is how to use that feature. On Fluux dashboard main page after the list of your service/platforms you may have noticed a "New" button.

You will be then redirected on a page to choose your plan.

Once terms and conditions are approved, you will be able to fill your card information on a page hosted by our payment provider.

When payment is succeeded, you will be then redirected to Fluux console and a link create your service:

On this last page you will be able to provide a technical name that will be used to provision your Fluux service.

After 10 minutes you can enjoy your new service at techname.m.in-app.io (such test1.m.in-app.io in above screenshot)