It's because SMS works without data. I doubt that most of the people that complain about SMS live in rural areas. It seems to be more of a US thing. The cou

It's because SMS works without data. I doubt that most of the people that complain about SMS live in rural areas. It seems to be more of a US thing. The country is so large that unless you live in a city you just won't be able to get data reliably. This leaves SMS as the only form of phone communication that isn't a voice call.