the cost of SMS is determined by how much consumers can be persuaded to pay
Correct, that's what happens in a free market. Since when are businesses supposed to price according to the cost of what they are selling? Their job is to make a profit, and the best way to do that is to find the balance between the highest cost and getting as many people as possible to pay that price.
Not to mention that SMS messages being more expensive than they could be is hardly a new fact, and indeed is written about often enough that it has been on HN multiple times in the last year alone.
Not to mention that SMS messages being more expensive than they could be is hardly a new fact, and indeed is written about often enough that it has been on HN multiple times in the last year alone.