Since I was one of those people who bothered to read the whole manual for my cell phone and even my contract (stuck on a plane), I learned that I can get text messages and I have started to use this function to get text updates, in particular sports scores from when I am trapped at some place with no TV or web access (like having to socialize with other humans!).
My cell phone company charges me 2 cents for each I message I receive, so it’s not a huge expense for me since I only use it a few days out of the month.
But I wonder how the services that provide this info make any money? Do they get anything back from my cellular provider? They’re doesn’t seem to be any advertising in the messages except to designate the sender. Is this some sort of loss leader for these companies?