Why and how would the telephone networks compete with $0.00? As far as I understand, the whole telephone protocol is decades old and involves various networks paying each other based on who knows what per years old contracts at years old prices.

VOIP from tmo/vz/att is still 100x better quality than voip from WhatsApp or zoom, I’ll choose tmo calling if it’s cheap or free over WhatsApp every time.

> If people use WhatsApp, the mobile networks get $0

Doesn't the network get at least the fee for the internet connection?

Oh, I guess that’s true! But only if the user isn’t on wifi, and only if they don’t have an unlimited (or semi-unlimited) data plan.

even then, with an unlimited (or semi-unlimited) data plan, the provider/ISP would have been paid at some point. Same with wi-fi, except that the user might not be the one paying for the connection between the wi-fi hotspot and internet, but the entity providing the connection to the WA servers would have received some money. In both cases, there's no direct relationship between messages sent/minutes of voice call and the money paid to the network provider, but the network provider still receives money in exchange of providing the connection.

I would not stop paying for internet access if calls were free and I didn't need what's app. I don't think anyone would

I assume it's more profitable to milk old customers that don't care about price rather than try to get new customers onto POTS.

Realistically the only reason any of us would switch is lower latency calls to people that have shitty WiFi. That's an shrinking market.