Verizon charging partners more for text messages

Verizon Wireless issued an email to its partners last night that announced a new US$.03 fee for each text message sent to its subscribers over its nationwide network. The fee will go into effect on November 1st, and affects any company that is currently sending text messages over Verizon's network. There are a few exceptions, including text-giving or free-to-end-user campaigns.

The change will have massive effects on the SMS industry in the USA, and also has companies worried about what the other major carriers will do. Currently, most carriers only charge a fraction of a cent to carry SMS for its partners. The fee is only charged to partners, and does not affect consumers' pricing in any way. [via PhoneScoop]

Update: Verizon seems to be backtracking on this SMS fee a bit. It put out another letter that says that the 3 cent increase was merely a proposal that was being considered. Nothing in the initial email or the follow-ups that some companies have received appear to show the fee being anything but a certainty, though. [via mocoNews]