"You can register your phone on its home network near a tower and go WiFi-only forever after."
This is how it works on paper. You may have had success with this.
It does not work universally. It won't take long to find a bank / FAANG / service provider that refuses to accept anything but a bona fide mobile SIM talking to a base station.
> It does not work universally. It won't take long to find a bank / FAANG / service provider that refuses to accept anything but a bona fide mobile SIM talking to a base station.
How does a SMS sender know this? Is there some mechanism in SMS to only deliver if by certain criteria?
You can use a handset with its SIM card on WiFi without a tower ever again if you provision the SIM card on its home network once. Nobody is suggesting using anything but a handset.
This is how it works on paper. You may have had success with this.
It does not work universally. It won't take long to find a bank / FAANG / service provider that refuses to accept anything but a bona fide mobile SIM talking to a base station.