Is there any reason, beyond corporate greed, for SMS messages to cost so much?

If I get it right, an SMS message is just a short string of data, no different from a message we send in a messenger. If so, then what makes them so expensive? If we’d take Internet plans and consider how much data an SMS takes, we should pay tiny fraction of a cent for each message; why doesn’t that happen?

  • viking@infosec.pub
    0·
    5 months ago

    Because they can, simple as that. Or well, could. I don’t think I have sent a single text message in a solid decade now, and received only 2FA messages and pickup codes for storage boxes when something was delivered while I wasn’t home.

    I really thought SMS is a remnant of the past at this point, just like fax systems. Working for legacy purposes, nothing more.

    • Maeve@kbin.social
      0·
      5 months ago

      Are you kidding? Everyone I know, even the kids, prefer sms. You can answer when and/or if you have time or feel like it

      • viking@infosec.pub
        0·
        5 months ago

        Nobody I know uses it, seriously. Every person is using whatsapp, and a handful privacy minded ones are on signal.

        Not sure I’m getting your point though, I can answer on every single message protocol whenever I have time or feel like it?

        • Maeve@kbin.social
          0·
          5 months ago

          I have a couple of friends and a family member on signal, the rest I text with, except for a neighbor who is too old to be great at it, and a blind friend. Oh and the elderly lady up the street. I guess my point is plenty of people use SMS, I guess it’s whatever people prefer in a given area. I loathe voice, except on rare occasion when I speak with my kid or a good friend of mine, halfway around the world, but that’s through signal, and it’s always great to voice/video chat with him and sometimes his friends or SO.