AT&T offers free calls to Japan through end of March

By Aemon Malone Published March 14, 2011

Last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami prompted an untold number of long-distance calls and text messages from people reaching out to family and friends in Japan. Today, AT&T announced that it would be making that process a little less burdensome by offering free calls and text messages from the U.S. to Japan.

AT&T also announced that it is offering its residential wireline customers credit for up to 60 minutes of free direct dial calling to Japan.

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The free services are being applied retroactively to calls placed beginning on March 11 — the day the earthquake struck — and will be offered through March 31.

“We want to help our customers connect with loved ones in Japan in anyway we can,” said Mark Collins, AT&T’s senior vice president of voice and data products, in a press release. “Connecting with family and friends is most important at times like this— we want to make it as easy and worry free as possible for our customers.”

AT&T wireless customers can text 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross’ efforts to provide disaster relief in Japan. No text message fees apply.

It’s important to remember: even gigantic telecommunication companies can sometimes show a semblance of humanity in the face of an overwhelming tragedy.

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