Last updated: August 19, 2026. This article is reviewed and updated monthly.
Overview
SMS and MMS carrier fees are charges imposed by mobile network operators for transmitting text (SMS) or multimedia (MMS) messages through their networks. These fees apply to businesses, organizations, or platforms sending messages to customers.
Carrier fees are pass-through charges. They're set by the mobile carriers, billed to Cordial by our messaging provider, and passed on to you at cost. Cordial doesn't set or mark up these rates.
Carrier fees are subject to change with minimal or no notice, and new fees not listed in our published table may be introduced. Cordial strives to provide timely updates on fee changes whenever possible, and reviews this page monthly against our provider's published schedule.
For specific details on how these fees apply to your account, please contact your Client Success Manager (CSM).
Carrier fee types
There are four different types of carrier fees:
- SMS sent (MT)
- SMS received (MO)
- MMS sent (MT)
- MMS received (MO)
MT stands for Mobile Terminated. They're SMS or MMS messages sent from Cordial to a contact's device.
MO stands for Mobile Originated. It's an SMS or MMS message that's been sent from a contact's phone that gets routed back to Cordial.
A blank cell means the carrier doesn't currently charge a fee for that message type.
How traffic type affects your rate
Carriers publish different surcharges depending on whether a message is sent from a short code, a 10DLC (10-digit long code) number, or a toll-free number. The rates in the tables below are short code rates, which apply to most Cordial sending programs.
Where 10DLC or toll-free rates differ, we note it directly beneath the table. If you send from a 10DLC or toll-free number, check those notes. Your CSM can confirm which rates apply to your programs.
USA carrier fees (per message)
Major carriers
| Carriers | SMS sent (MT) | SMS received (MO) | MMS sent (MT) | MMS received (MO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Sprint Family (Virgin, Boost) | $0.0045 | $0.0025 | $0.0100 | $0.0100 |
| Verizon | $0.0045 |
| $0.0070 |
|
| AT&T, Cricket | $0.0035 | $0.0035 | $0.0090 | $0.0090 |
| US Cellular | $0.0045 | $0.0025 | $0.0100 | $0.0100 |
| DISH Wireless | $0.0045 |
| $0.0100 |
|
Traffic-type notes: US Cellular SMS sent is $0.0050 via 10DLC. All other rates above are the same across short code, 10DLC, and toll-free.
Regional carriers and network operators
| Carriers | SMS sent (MT) | SMS received (MO) | MMS sent (MT) | MMS received (MO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic Slope Telephone Cooperative Association (ASTAC) | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 | |
| Break Away Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| C-Spire Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Carolina West Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Cellcom | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Chat Mobility / Hawkeye | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Copper Valley Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Cross Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| CTC (Cambridge Telephone Company) | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| CTCI (Custer Telephone) | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 | |
| Fastwyre | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 | |
| GCI / General Communication / Alaska DigiTel | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Inland Cellular / Washington RSA No. 8 | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| James Valley Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Nex-Tech Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Northwest Missouri Cellular / Hawkeye | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| NNTC (Nucla-Naturita Telephone) | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 | |
| Panhandle / PTCI / United Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Pine Belt Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Pine Cellular | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Silver Star Communications | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Snake River PCS (Eagle Telephone) | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 | |
| Southern LINC | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Standing Rock (SRTI) | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 | |
| Strata Networks | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Thumb Cellular | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 | |
| UBET Wireless | $0.0040 | |||
| Union Wireless / Union Cellular | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Viaero Wireless (NE Colorado Cellular) | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Windy City Wireless | $0.0045 | $0.0045 | $0.0100 | $0.0050 |
| Altice Mobile | $0.0040 | |||
| Appalachian Wireless (East Kentucky Network) | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | ||
| Bluegrass Cellular | $0.0040 | |||
| Nemont / Sagebrush Cellular | $0.0040 | |||
| SI Wireless | $0.0040 | |||
| Smith Bagley / CellularOne Northeast Arizona | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | ||
| Viya (US Virgin Islands) | $0.0040 |
Traffic-type notes: The following carriers charge $0.0035 for SMS sent via 10DLC, where the short code rate is $0.0040 or $0.0045: ASTAC, Break Away Wireless, CTC, CTCI, Fastwyre, NNTC, Northwest Missouri Cellular, Silver Star Communications, Snake River PCS, Standing Rock, Strata Networks, and Windy City Wireless.
Messaging networks and aggregators
Messages delivered through these networks carry the following surcharges.
| Carriers | SMS sent (MT) | SMS received (MO) | MMS sent (MT) | MMS received (MO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Point Communications / Shelcomm | $0.0040 | |||
| Aerialink | $0.0040 | |||
| ATNI / Commnet | $0.0040 | |||
| Bandwidth / Republic Wireless | $0.0040 | |||
| BrightlinkIP | $0.0040 | |||
| Commio | $0.0040 | |||
| DCC / OTZ Telecommunications / Cordova Wireless | $0.0040 | |||
| Enflick / TextNow | $0.0040 | |||
| Evolve Cellular | $0.0040 | |||
| Inteliquent / Onvoy-Spectrum Wireless / Layered Communications | $0.0040 | |||
| Limitless Mobile / Immix / Keystone Wireless / PC Management | $0.0040 | |||
| NumberAccess | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | ||
| Optimera | $0.0040 | |||
| Pinger | $0.0040 | |||
| Plivo | $0.0040 | |||
| RingCentral | $0.0040 | |||
| Sinch Voice | $0.0040 | |||
| Telnyx | $0.0040 | |||
| TextMe | $0.0040 | |||
| Textplus | $0.0040 | |||
| TSG Global / Flextalk | $0.0040 | |||
| Tychron | $0.0040 | $0.0100 | ||
| Vonage | $0.0040 | |||
| Voxtelesys | $0.0040 | |||
| ZipWhip | $0.0040 |
Traffic-type notes: TextNow / Enflick SMS sent is $0.0040 via short code, $0.0035 via 10DLC, and $0.0015 via toll-free. MMS sent is $0.0035 via 10DLC and $0.0020 via toll-free.
Puerto Rico carrier fees (per message)
| Carriers | SMS sent (MT) | SMS received (MO) | MMS sent (MT) | MMS received (MO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claro PR | $0.0740 | $0.0150 | ||
| Liberty Latin America | $0.0125 | $0.0050 | $0.0180 |
Traffic-type notes: Puerto Rico rates vary by traffic type.
| Carriers | Short-code | 10DLC | Toll-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claro PR | $0.0740 | $0.0150 | |
| Liberty Latin America | $0.0125 | $0.0050 | $0.0180 |
| Liberty Latin America — SMS received | $0.0050 | $0.0030 |
MMS rates in the table above are for 10DLC traffic. Your CSM can confirm which traffic type applies to your programs.
Guam carrier fees (per message)
| Carriers | SMS sent (MT) | SMS received (MO) | MMS sent (MT) | MMS received (MO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docomo | $0.0120 | |||
| PTI Pacifica / IT&E | $0.0120 | |||
| GTA Teleguam | $0.0120 |
American Samoa carrier fees (per message)
| Carriers | SMS sent (MT) | SMS received (MO) | MMS sent (MT) | MMS received (MO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa Telecommunications Authority (ASTCA) | $0.0700 |
Canada carrier fees (per message)
| Carriers | SMS sent (MT) | SMS received (MO) | MMS sent (MT) | MMS received (MO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell & Virgin Mobile | $0.0067 | $0.0067 | $0.0250 | $0.0250 |
| Rogers Wireless, Fido | $0.0072 | $0.0072 | $0.0100 | $0.0100 |
| Telus | $0.0065 | $0.0200 | ||
| Videotron & Fizz | $0.0050 | $0.0050 | ||
| Eastlink (Bragg Communications) | $0.0050 | $0.0050 | ||
| SaskTel | $0.0050 | $0.0050 | ||
| Freedom Mobile (formerly Wind) | $0.0050 | $0.0050 | ||
| Iristel / Ice Wireless | $0.0050 | |||
| Cogeco (USD) | $0.0035 | |||
| ISP Telecom (USD) | $0.0040 | |||
| K-net Telecom (USD) | $0.0040 |
Note: Cogeco, ISP Telecom, and K-net Telecom bill in USD, not CAD.
Canada — long code and toll-free rates
Canada rates differ by traffic type. If you send to Canada from a long code or toll-free number, use these tables instead.
SMS sent (MT)
| Carriers | Long code | Toll-free |
|---|---|---|
| Rogers / Fido | $0.0121 | $0.0090 |
| Bell | $0.0110 | $0.0110 |
| Virgin Mobile | $0.0110 | $0.0110 |
| Telus | $0.0100 | $0.0100 |
| Freedom Mobile | $0.0090 | $0.0060 |
| Videotron | $0.0090 | $0.0070 |
| Eastlink | $0.0080 | $0.0080 |
| SaskTel | $0.0080 | $0.0080 |
| Fibernetics | $0.0050 |
MMS sent (MT)
| Carriers | Long code | Toll-free |
|---|---|---|
| Bell — under 3M messages/month | $0.0410 | $0.0410 |
| Bell — over 3M messages/month | $0.0210 | |
| Virgin Mobile | $0.0410 | $0.0410 |
| Aliant | $0.0410 | |
| Rogers / Fido | $0.0242 | $0.0150 |
| Telus | $0.0200 | $0.0200 |
| Bell — under 3M messages/month | $0.0410 | $0.0410 |
| Freedom Mobile | $0.0120 | $0.0120 |
| Videotron | $0.0120 | $0.0120 |
| Eastlink | $0.0100 | $0.0100 |
| Public Communications | $0.0100 | |
| SaskTel | $0.0080 | $0.0080 |
| Fibernetics | $0.0080 | — |
| Fizz | $0.0070 |
Note: Bell's long code MMS surcharge is volume-banded. It's $0.0410 CAD per message if you send fewer than 3 million messages in the month, and $0.0210 CAD if you send more. The band applies to all of that month's qualifying volume once the threshold is reached; it isn't tiered.
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