AWS closes communication platform Chime
The unified communications service Chime from Amazon Web Services is no longer accepting new customers and will close. Partner Slack is allowed to continue.
(Image: Bryce Johnson CC-BY 2.0)
AWS Chime is closing down. The service for unified communications (UCaaS) in companies is no longer accepting new customers with immediate effect. Existing customers can still use Chime for one year, but are invited to move to other services. Telephone numbers used with Chime must be ported to other network operators if they are not to be lost. Chime will have offered chats, video conferencing including the transmission of screen content and business telephony.
Amazon.com launched Chime on the market in 2017, competing with then-established services such as Microsoft's Skype for Business, Cisco's WebEx and Google Hangouts. Chime is said to have been based on technology from Biba, which Amazon had quietly taken over the year before. However, various features of Chimes were only available in North America, which at least did not boost its success.
Slack not affected
And even within the company itself, Chime had a difficult time. In 2019, Amazon entered into a partnership with Slack. Slack uses Chime technology for video conferencing and voice connections, and even has an "Amazon Chime Meetings App for Slack" thanks to the collaboration. According to reports, Amazon employees have since largely used Slack for chats, rather than Chime.
In Thursday's announcement about the end of Chime, Amazon says that the Chime SDK will continue. This means that third-party applications, such as Slack, can use Chime technology and AWS infrastructure for video conferences, chats and voice connections, including connection to the telephone network and voice transcription, until further notice. AWS will of course charge fees for this.
In-house competition
In 2021, Amazon acquired the communication service Wickr, which, unlike Chime, offers end-to-end encryption out of the box. Wickr was able to win over the US military in particular; the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force have all purchased the self-hosted military version Wickr RAM. The civilian counterpart for self-hosting in corporations is called Wickr Enterprise; those who do not want to host their sites can use AWS Wickr. However, Amazon scrapped the Wickr ME service, which was positioned for consumers, at the end of 2023 as it was losing out to Signal and WhatsApp.
For Chime users, AWS now has a guide to data export and other appropriate measures. Amazon mentions Slack, Webex, Wickr and Zoom as alternative services.
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