IT industry pulls together with Japanese tsunami initiatives

In the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in the last week, several service providers in the IT industry are offering free means for users to contact loved ones in Japan.

Yesterday, Telstra announced free phone calls and text messages for its customers who wish to check on loved ones in Japan.

Telstra customers can call Japan from their fixed-line phone, or their Telstra mobile, free of charge, between 6 am Friday 11 March and 6 am Friday 25 March.

Users can also send free text messages from their Telstra mobiles to Japan in the same time period.

“We want to help our customers who are concerned about their friends and relatives in Japan affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami to check on loved ones,” said Tarek Robbiati, Group Managing Director, Telstra International Group.

“Calls and text messages to Japan will not be billed during this time,” Robbiati said.

Robbiati did caution patience, however, as the company expects some level of network congestion.

“We encourage customers to remain patient as difficulties and delays may be experienced when trying to connect,” he said. “Sendai and surrounding areas are especially hard to reach at this time.”

And today, Indian web telephony service provider TringMe announced that users can make direct WiFi/3G calls from the TringMe BlackBerry application to Japan for free, until 15 April.

“Regardless of where you are in the world, a Blackberry user who has downloaded TringMe can make calls to their relatives and friends in Japan to express their support,” said Yusuf Motiwala, CEO at TringMe.

“There will be no call charges levied for TringMe’s direct WiFi/3G calls from Blackberry,” he said.

Those interested in the TringMe Blackberry service can find instructions on its use at http://tringme.com/blackberry.html.