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Oh this is true here too. SMS usage was huge pre-WhatsApp. What happened was that the networks were capitalising on that. SMS was historically quite expensive
by GekkePrutser 4y ago
Oh this is true here too. SMS usage was huge pre-WhatsApp.
What happened was that the networks were capitalising on that. SMS was historically quite expensive so it became a big cash cow. SMS bits must have been made of gold because they were hundreds of times more expensive than other bits.
WhatsApp completely killed SMS usage here however. Leading to some carriers wanting to charge extra for WhatsApp usage to recuperate some of the 'lost' revenue. This sparked a big discussion about net neutrality which was then enshrined in EU law, so the discussion was finished. By this time, SMS became practically free but it was too late.
- ghaff 4y agoInteresting. It looks like WhatsApp predated iMessage in the US but it never really took off. Maybe US text bundles were more consumer-friendly in the US? Though I don't really remember it that way. (I didn't do a lot of texting though and mostly expensed the handful of work-related texting I did do; friends didn't really text at that time.)