Phone numbers should be free. The fact that they’re required in most economies to access government and banking services, especially for 2FA, as well as for any employment whatsoever, should have immediately rendered sim cards free for all citizens; probably also free minimums like this + 100 SMS/mins a month.

But we live in corporate dictatorships, where our governments collude with private enterprise to extract value from the working class, so the concept of proactively improving everyones quality of life despite the profit margins of the few, is a pie in the sky pipe dream.