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
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    8 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
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      8 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
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        8 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?

        • LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world
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          8 months ago

          I used Signal for several years until some spotty areas near the beach it wasn’t working, so I worried it was unreliable and I abandoned Signal & went back to using whatever default SMS my cell provider has on my phone 🫤 Now y’all are reminding me to go back to Signal. Imma go do that now