>>mikece+(OP)
$6 million per year on outgoing SMS?
Do not send SMS to users, make users send SMS to you instead to confirm their numbers! I have this solution for years and it works >90% of the time. The rest 10% is calling a verification number which drops calls with busy signal (no fees for the caller) but sees who is calling and is able to verify their number.
>>illiac+U41
Would invites be a solution? Anyone can sign up if they provide a number, otherwise you need an invite from someone with a number linked. It would clump the identity/legitimacy for all invitees into origin number, but still allow disparate accounts.
>>serial+Tb1
they did not "make it required", Signal was just never developed to support anything else for username/registration. Which is what they have now almost corrected.