Why do cell companies in US charge us for making AND receiving calls and texts when in UK you only get charged for making the call or text?

Answer 1

In the US, cell phones are given numbers with standard area codes so there is no way to know if it is a land line or cell phone. Telephone operators do not make different charges because callers are unaware of the type of telephone they are calling. The additional costs of connecting to a cell phone are therefore paid by the cell phone subscriber rather than the caller.

In the UK, cell phones have their own area codes, always starting with 07. Callers are able to identify the number as a cell phone. Telephone operators are therefore able to charge the caller rather than the cell phone subscriber.

Both charging methods have their own benefits. In the UK, cell phone users cannot be charged for unwanted calls or for texts so costs for using a cell phone are easier to control. In the US, cell phones can be called without paying big premiums. A UK call from land line to cell phone can frequently cost 30p per minute or more (45c per minute).