I agree that it still doesn't make a lot of sense, especially today. But consider 1.) Even if the carrier only charged me for the second leg, it would still b

I agree that it still doesn't make a lot of sense, especially today. But consider 1.) Even if the carrier only charged me for the second leg, it would still be a charge for an incoming call, which is what the OP was complaining about. 2.) This was, as you point out, back when cellular was just starting out, and roaming was a lot more common, even within your own theoretical "home area," because coverage was so poor, and because we had a decent amount of competition back in the early days - every area in the U.S. initially had two carriers (called an "A side" and "B side"), and they all used an analog technology called AMPS which was generally configured such that you roamed on each others' networks quite frequently. 3.) My last point about big stodgy carriers unwilling to give up a money maker still stands. :)