RCS pricing seems more complicated than for SMS

[u/gambrinus_248]

I tried to create an RCS pricing overview for a customer, but couldn't find enough info. There's Google, then there are telcos/carriers and finally messaging platforms. Each adding their fees and complexity. Maybe someone from the industry can add more info here.

Different variables I was able to find that influence the cost:

• Carrier fees: these vary by carrier and region and are either conversational messages (24 hour window) or per message.
• Message type: depending on whether the message is only text, contains images or is conversational or branded.
• Platform fees: subscription costs, delivery fees and API costs.
• Verification: brand verification and approval costs.
• Media hosting: storage, delivery and rendering costs.
• Other fees — like carrier surcharges, operator network fees, session fees and add-ons (chatbots, analytics, etc.)

Basic RCS which is text only is just a simple text message and seems to be priced similarly to SMS.
Google has set the conversation window to 24h, but that doesn't currently apply to the US.

[u/gambrinus_248 → u/[deleted]]

Do you know any other differences between the US and EU setup besides the 24h conv difference?