3 ms·
SMS is carried in the status/beacon messages that the phone and tower periodically exchange. This is why there is a character limit. Bandwidth cost is zero.
by glitchc 7y ago
SMS is carried in the status/beacon messages that the phone and tower periodically exchange. This is why there is a character limit. Bandwidth cost is zero.
- zeta0134 7y agoRight; it's free on a technical level. Many, many carriers charge for it anyway, certainly in the US, though I don't know what the situation is abroad. I think a better argument for the standard is simply that it's built into the protocol, and therefore unlikely to vanish anytime soon. Can't say the same for the trendy app of the week.
- tenryuu 7y agoWell,telcos aren't a charity either, consider yourself paying regular service fees, enabling employees to keep their jobs, or even just using that money for the Mobile Data you use. I have a cheap prepaid, still using SMS every day because I know I have unlimited use of it, to several countries even. Data is where they make their money