The ten-cent text message may be going the way of the 25-cent phone call.
Verizon Wireless has just announced a 33 percent increase in its text message rate, raising the price to sending or receiving a message from a dime to $.15.
The increase applies to customers without a text message plan and follows a similar move by Sprint/Nextel and AT&T;/Cingular. Customers with text plans are not affected.
Verizon says nearly half of its customers use text messaging features but it's unclear how many have monthly plans and how many pay as they go.
Text messaging costs can easily push up the monthly cost of owning a cell phone and have been a frequent source of friction in households with teenagers.
Text messages are transmitted on the same system that voice calls, but instead of getting a call, customers receive a printed message on their phone's screen. Since most phones lack keyboards, customers type their messages by multi-tapping on a phone's number pad to choose letters.
Though in theory anyone could be an adept text messager, teens and young adults have been the quickest adopters of this somewhat cumbersome means of communicating.
