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This is just more Google trying to grab a service from carriers and Apple.

The carriers make a lot of money on sms, and because it's table stakes for a phone, SMS remains the least common denominator in text messaging (it's like OG JavaScript, except without the good parts). Meanwhile, there are a plethora of over-the-top messaging apps that have accrued huge user bases addressing all the things RCS tries to and then some.



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I don’t know any mobile networks that charge for SMS. Maybe international SMS, but I cannot imagine that is a huge revenue source with ubiquitous data and free messaging apps.


It seems like a lot more. I forgot about businesses having to pay for SMS like 2FA codes.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222773/worldwide-applic...

> In 2021, the global application-to-person (A2P) SMS market is anticipated to reach 45.93 billion U.S. dollars in revenue.


I just grabbed the SMS part. There is an RCS part that makes the number come out over $50 B. Even "free text messages" or "unlimited text messages" result in revenue for the carriers.

The A2P SMS includes a lot of things beyond just what the carriers make.


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