The 5x spread on skip tracing is real and it comes from hit quality. Bulk batch skip tracing, where you upload a file and get back whatever the database has, runs at the low end, often under a dime a record, and a meaningful share come back with dead or wrong numbers. Higher-priced tracing does more work per record, sometimes cross-referencing multiple data sources, and returns fewer numbers with a better connect rate. Price per record is the wrong comparison. Price per number that a live person actually answers is the one that matters, and you only learn it by running a test file of a few thousand through two providers and tracking dispositions.
List data itself is usually the cheapest line, a few cents per record from a county pull or a data provider. Dialers are typically priced per seat per month, roughly a hundred to a few hundred dollars, with usage minutes on top. Texting platforms run monthly plus per-message. Labor dominates everything else. Offshore callers are commonly quoted single-digit dollars per hour and domestic acquisitions people cost far more, which is why per-lead pricing varies so much between shops.
On the carrier registration point, you're describing 10DLC. Messaging carriers require business and campaign registration before you can send at volume, with a small setup and recurring fee, and unregistered or heavily complained-about traffic gets filtered. Confirm current fees and timelines with the platform in writing, because they change.
Licensing is the part people skip. Several states require telemarketers to register, and some require a bond, and the triggers differ by state and by whether you're calling into it or from it. Whether your specific setup falls under those rules is a legal question, so get it answered before you dial rather than after.
