How many people actually use their smartphone as a phone and make calls?https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1032662306616791040 …
How did that tie a customer to a plan? It's device ID that gets tied to a carrier ("locked phones"), while the app is just a UI for the phone hardware.
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Try buying a phone and a data plan without a phone number.
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How to mobile data plans for tablets and laptops work? I have a t-mobile 4G data hotspot - it has a "phone number", not because it's a phone, but because that's how the carrier identifies the device for billing and service. It has no phone app. How are these related?
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The phone number gives the telco power through legislation and licensing. Without the number, they have no power over the consumer. It's super complicated and shifty and anchored in old rules
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I get that, but I don't understand how "phone as an app" is related. Using the device as a phone requires an interface - it's either part of the OS or an app on top of the OS. How does how we use the phone (app or not) having anything to do with legacy billing & service?
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If the phone doesn't have a "phone" app which cannot be uninstalled, it stops being a phone and the phone company can't demand you have a phone number. The tablet story is a weird anomaly.
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I can buy a data-only SIM card, and it will work in nearly all phones. True, I cannot uninstall the phone app, but I can choose a 3rd party phone app.I also can't uninstall the Bluetooth and WiFi drivers - layers between users and hardware are necessary to not brick a device.
End of conversation
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