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?

  • FluffyPotato
    2·
    6 months ago

    They are expensive? I pay 10 euros a month and that includes 500 SMS messages and 100 MMS ones along with call time and Internet that I have never exceeded so I haven’t checked how much it is.

    • acutfjg@feddit.nl
      4·
      6 months ago

      I’d argue 10 bucks for that amount of messages is expensive. That’s roughly 2 cents for 1 message. A text is so miniscule in the grand scheme of data being passed back and forth between the phone and a cell tower, you should be getting unlimited messages for $10 bucks. Of course corpos will argue against this

      • FluffyPotato
        1·
        6 months ago

        It also includes calls and Internet. Also I have never sent more than 50 SMS messages per month so I guess I haven’t ever cared, most of my communication is either Signal, WhatsApp or Discord. On average it’s probably like 3 sms’ per month though.

        I guess I always though it was pretty cheap since I never ran out of data or anything, I don’t think I could send 500 SMS messages if I tried.

        • Mkengine@feddit.de
          1·
          6 months ago

          I’m curious, what exactly are you sending SMS for nowadays? I can’t remember sending and SMS since at least 10 years, I only receive them for some services.

          • FluffyPotato
            1·
            6 months ago

            A relative in their 80s with a dumb phone is the average usecase for me.