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?
I know it doesn’t help, but Europeans have always been amazed how much you guys were charged for SMS. Even in 1999, over here messages cost a fraction of what you were charged - that you pay for them at all these days is just mind-boggling.
American profit seeking at its finest
They’re in Russia. I don’t know anybody in the US (I assume you’re talking about) who pays for SMS.
Who were you texting in 1999? Cell phones weren’t very common then.
Probably me on my Nokia 5110 with the slick custom faceplate, extra thiccccc battery, and analog external module.
I always wanted a Nokia - I know it was a cliche, but I was amazed at how indestructible they were. Even when they did actually break apart, you could just pick up the bits, clip them back together, and it would just work again - with no visible damage.
Also, SNAKE
SMS piggybacks on existing signals to and from your phone. They are entirely free, and have been in a lot of places for a long time.
You’re getting screwed. At least it’s a good reason for your contacts to switch to signal or simpleX?
SMS are completely free? I mean yeah, they cost money back in 2009, but that was a loooooong time ago.
Wherever you are, you’re being completely screwed, yeah.
They aren’t free in Canada.
Most plans other than the absolute bottom contain effectively unlimited SMS.
- Freedom Mobile’s cheapest phone plan is $19/month with unlimited calls and SMS: https://shop.freedommobile.ca/en-CA/plans
- Public Mobile’s cheapest plan is $15/month with unlimited calls and SMS: https://subscribe.publicmobile.ca/en/on/activation/plans/unlimitedtalk&text
Yes they are? I guess maybe not up north but in every province they sure are
No they aren’t, you might have an unlimited plan but that’s different
Depends what you mean by free, but in BC any of the lowest cost plans ($15/month) have unlimited SMS included with the plan. The only time I paid per text was on a pre-paid SIM.
$15 bruv I’m paying €6 per month for 250MB of data, 100min calling and yes, already unlimited SMS
NL btw
Where are you that you’re paying anything extra for sms? They used to be expensive because they could charge that much, now that are included in even the cheapest prepaid plans. If you are paying per message, that’s a you problem and you need to find another wireless provider.
Wait, I haven’t paid for text messages in probably 15 years. Where do they still charge for SMS? It’s usually unlimited with any plan that I’ve seen
I think my phone plan (in Japan) charges for outgoing SMS. I don’t think it’s much. I think some plans maybe include it. We all use LINE here (like much of Europe uses Whatsapp) so most people aren’t sending text messages regularly if at all.
Really basic plans still charge you. When I was in school, my parents gave me a dumb phone with a plan that cost 10 cents per minute of calling or 10 cents per sms. MMS didn’t even work. Ridiculously expensive, but at the amount I was using still cheaper than anything else
https://www.mintmobile.com/plans/
All plans include unlimited talk and text.
That’s 5x what I paid.
