The True Cost of SMS Messages

nilbog writes "What's the actual cost of sending SMS messages? This article does the math and concludes that, for example, sending an amount of data that would cost $1 from your ISP would cost over $61 million if you were to send it over SMS. Why has the cost of bandwidth, infrastructure, and technology in general plummeted while the price of SMS messages have risen so egregiously? How can carriers continue to justify the high cost of their apparent super-premium data transmission?"

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[palegray.net]

it makes more sense to talk while driving instead of trying to type a text message

Just curious, have you watched people drive recently? Maybe it's just Connecticut drivers...

Dumb kids.

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Pay anything for instant gratification. :-)

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[BlackPignouf]

Why do cars cost so much?

Because we're even more addicted to car driving than we are to SMS sending?

Re:Adam Smith sez...Hookers should be free.

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

I'm still waiting for the reason why sex costs so much?

Well, yer ugly, and you smell bad. Those are yer good points. Good lookin' blokes, what know how to talk with a bird, like what she's sayin', it's important like. We're the ones what get's it - and has 'em buyin' stuff fer us, too!

Bit a cologne... A blazer... Listenin' a bit more than talkin'. Goes a long way, mate. Sometimes into the next day!

Yer pal, Alfie.

Re:As the four other posters...

[esper]

It's even more dangerous to be reading text messages while driving(or anything other than sitting down),

Some of us like to live dangerously. On the rare occasions when I get text messages, I read them standing up.

Re:A LOT of air on the prices

[adpowers]

The fact that the data content is far smaller is simply due to the ingenious idea of letting the user do the compression.

Heh, I like this concept. Perhaps the wireless companies-to the dissatisfaction of English teachers everywhere-are also subversively encouraging the use of SMS lingo. For example, "r u going to the mall 2night" is compressed to 82% of the original size of "are you going to the mall tonight". Those bastards will do anything to make a buck!

I wish it was the same in the UK

[Chrisq]

Why do so many people seem to have to phone someone just to shout "Hi. I'm on the train...yes the train ....now Its leaving the station.... bye".

And then on the intercity trips there is always someone next to you that obviously uses his phone for business but has that really loud ringtone of Abba singing "Waterloo". He always puts his phone back in his pocket after each call and then takes 20 seconds to get it out again when he's called two minutes later.

Re:A LOT of air on the prices

[weicco]

It is even easier where I live. I just type "pub 15" and receiver immediately understands that it means a hectic beer drinking festival at the pub starting 15 minutes from now, put on your clothes and get your ass to the pub. So the compression rate is enormous! It also helps that there is only one pub in the town...

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[MyGirlFriendsBroken]

Many countries (in Europe at least) have banned talking while driving

Does this mean that I am going to have to stop talking back to my Sat Nav in a vain attempt to find out exactly what language Ken understands?

Oh, I dunno...

[crontabminusell]

You should ask Kwame. He's learning the true price of text messages. =)

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=4196564 [go.com]

No, I'm New Here

[New Here]

No, I'm New Here

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[Firehed]

It's all over the place.

Not that I should talk, having used VNC from my phone to start a remote backup while driving (shh!). I was at a red light at the time...

Re:P _ R N D 2 1

[dwater]

If you're holding a phone, driving becomes more erratic as you're trying to steer and change gear with one hand.

This is another cultural difference. In the United States, most cars and light trucks have an automatic transmission,

and most roads are straight too, so bends are generally 90 degrees or close.

and minor gear changes are done with the right foot. The only gear changes that need a hand are park, reverse, neutral (or "automatic car wash gear"), and drive, and these are done with the brake pedal firmly pressed.

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[Gadgetfreak]

If you think CT is bad, try crossing the border to Rhode Island. I seriously think the reason the majority of them don't use their turn signals is because they don't want to reveal their plan to the enemy.

hidden words...

[pikine]

Because it gives their SO at home an idea of how long they'll be, so they know when to put the food on.

You never know how many hidden words are in a conversation like that.

Translation: "Honey, I know you've been seeing somebody, but I don't want to know about it. Please get him out of our bed---MY BED---before I get home."

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[PirateBlis]

My friend texts while driving all the time. I'm just waiting til the day I get a half finished message. Then I'm just gonna respond "Serves you right, dumbass"

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[stokessd]

You aren't from around here are you? You see, here in the USofA we have Starbucks which has paid the US Auto industry to only sell automatic transmissions. This allows us to wrecklessly weave down our huge roads with a triple latte in one hand and a RAZR in the other. No shifting necessary unless we hit someone, then we have to shift into reverse and take another sip and tell the person on the phone to hold on for a second.

Sheldon

Re:Adam Smith sez...

[duerra]

If you telegraph your intentions, others know what you're doing, and have more time to react to you.

But officer, I *TRIED* to text him!