European carriers charge each other to receive SMS as well, they just don't customarily pass it on to the consumer. The mobile network "Three" used to have a pr

European carriers charge each other to receive SMS as well, they just don't customarily pass it on to the consumer. The mobile network "Three" used to have a program where they'd pass on the money received to consumers, and it became a scam, popular in Italy, to send yourself hundreds of SMS (from "free SMS" websites) to get free money.