2 ms·

But is the cell network ultimately different from the Internet? You have to pay an ISP too, to connect to the Internet.

actionfromafar 4y ago
I can't formulate a technical reason why there is difference. I guess I have to go with culture... there are very few if any systems which talk to each other over SMS. Definitely not in a standardised manner, if so. Custom SCADA systems, maybe. (SMS is more like how modems were back in the day, re automated systems.) So there are very few apps on SMS today. Almost all communication is either machine system > human. (Spam, 2FA, etc.) Or human <-> human. Edit: in a parallel reality where we were stuck on SMS for some reason (alien invasion in 1989, successfully repelled but much of value was lost, for instance) and SMS messages were to become cheap or free (as they often are today) I could definitely see an "internet" growing up with SMS as the transfer backbone. Much of the basics could be done over SMS, status updates, "email", news and so on. Heck, Twitter ran on sms I'm told. (It was a US thing, right?)
lisper 4y ago
The cell network is radically different from the internet. 1. You need a SIM card to connect to the cell network. There is no cell-network equivalent of "free wifi". 2. If you have a (paid) internet connection you can net anyone connect to it with their own hardware. You can't share a cell network connection that way. 3. The internet is packet-switched. The cell network is (mostly) connection-based. 4. The cell network lacks broadcast and multicast protocols. 5. Cell network connections are always peer-to-peer. You can't have a "server" on the cell network. The concept doesn't even make sense. I could go on and on.
- nikau 4y ago
  Free WiFi equivalent exists when you call 112 emergency services. No sim required, any cell tower from any carrier will allow the call.

I can't formulate a technical reason why there is difference. I guess I have to go with culture... there are very few if any systems which talk to each other over SMS. Definitely not in a standardised manner, if so. Custom SCADA systems, maybe. (SMS is more like how modems were back in the day, re automated systems.) So there are very few apps on SMS today. Almost all communication is either machine system > human. (Spam, 2FA, etc.) Or human <-> human. Edit: in a parallel reality where we were stuck on SMS for some reason (alien invasion in 1989, successfully repelled but much of value was lost, for instance) and SMS messages were to become cheap or free (as they often are today) I could definitely see an "internet" growing up with SMS as the transfer backbone. Much of the basics could be done over SMS, status updates, "email", news and so on. Heck, Twitter ran on sms I'm told. (It was a US thing, right?)

lisper 4y ago

The cell network is radically different from the internet. 1. You need a SIM card to connect to the cell network. There is no cell-network equivalent of "free wifi". 2. If you have a (paid) internet connection you can net anyone connect to it with their own hardware. You can't share a cell network connection that way. 3. The internet is packet-switched. The cell network is (mostly) connection-based. 4. The cell network lacks broadcast and multicast protocols. 5. Cell network connections are always peer-to-peer. You can't have a "server" on the cell network. The concept doesn't even make sense. I could go on and on.

nikau 4y ago
Free WiFi equivalent exists when you call 112 emergency services. No sim required, any cell tower from any carrier will allow the call.