Cellphone users are about to be hit with new fees as two of Canada's telecommunications giants bring in a levy on incoming text messages.

Bell Mobility will begin charging 15 cents per incoming text message on Aug. 8. Telus Mobility will do the same from Aug. 24.

Until now, their pay-per-use customers who send messages have been charged 15 cents per message, but it hasn't cost anything to receive them.

Shawn Hall of Telus in Vancouver said the cost of accommodating text messaging has ballooned in recent years.

"Canadians send 45 million text messages a day," said Hall. "That has created a tremendous strain on our network and we can no longer afford to provide the service for free."

He said that, for $30 a month, customers can buy a cellphone plan that gives them unlimited sending and receiving of text messages, Internet access and e-mail.

"For customers who don't do a lot of text messaging, they have the option of paying this 15 cents," he said.

"As for unwanted text messages, consumers have nothing to worry about.

"We have had, for a number of years, really robust security filters in place that block millions of spam text messages a month.

"Generally speaking, our customers don't receive text spam."

And, he said, if you do receive text spam, "we'll take the charge off your bill, no problem."

The new charge has sparked outrage on blogs.

"This charge is unbelievable. If someone sends me spam on my Bell phone, I have to pay for it? I made the mistake of giving my cellphone number to a car rental agency and now I get spam text messages," a Bell customer ranted on a technology blog.

"I actually work for Bell and I think this incoming text messages being charged is bogus!" posted another.

Bell and Telus customers can avoid the charge by switching to Rogers, which says it has no plans to institute a fee to receive a text message. But Bell and Telus charge penalties of up to $400 if customers break their contracts.

Elizabeth Hamilton, Rogers spokeswoman, said: "We just don't charge for it, and have no plans to. Now it's a unique differentiator for Rogers."

Matt Jenkins, 25, of Vancouver, isn't impressed by the text-messaging charges.

"Oh, painful," he groaned. "Information is supposed to be free."

Said Jennifer Woodroff, 47, of Vancouver: "That's ridiculous. It's like another tax.

"[Friends] text you constantly with stupid things like, 'What RU doin'?' "

Chris Mack, 26, a Bell customer, is not relishing the prospect of paying the new charge: "I'm not happy with that."

But the new fees don't bother Ken Nam of Vancouver.

"I bought the Fun Bundle and pay a few bucks every month for unlimited text messaging. It costs about $5," said Nam, 26. "I'm quite happy with Telus."

Allen Mendez of Coquitlam said the new charges are reasonable.

"I think a lot of people use text messaging more than talking [on their cellphones] anyway," said Mendez, 26.

Mendez said the fee might prompt people to think twice before giving a stranger their cellphone number.

"The only people who have my number are the people who I want to [receive] text messages from."

© The Vancouver Province 2008