Skatter Tech

If you are an AT&T or Verizon Wireless customer trying to reach friends or family in Japan after last week’s earthquake and tsunami disasters, don’t hesitate to make another call. Both cellular carriers are doing their part to help people reconnect by waving all fees for calls placed to Japan from the United States for a limited time. Some restrictions apply, so be sure to read the following:

AT&T

International long distance calls from the United States or Puerto Rico to Japan through March 31st, 2011 are free for AT&T cellular customers. For those wondering, AT&T began waiving fees on March 11th. Text messages to Japan are also free through the end of the month.

The company is also offering 60 minutes of credit for land line customers who place calls to Japan through the end of the month. Unlike cellular customers, these traditional wired subscribers will need to call in to request a reimbursement at the end of this month.

Verizon Wireless

Like AT&T, all calls placed to Japan from the U.S. through April 10th, 2011 are free for Verizon Wireless subscribers. The same applies for all sent text, picture, and video messages over the same time period. Verizon is also waving fees for their land line subscribers and pre-paid phones.

Other Carriers

There are unverified reports that Sprint and T-Mobile are also offering free calls and text messages. These carriers have not yet published an official press release, but we will update this article with any new details. I would also suggest calling customer support if you want to double-check.

Update 3/15/2011 1:05 PM: Sprint has confirmed that are also offering free calls and texts through April 10th, 2011. We have not yet seen an update from T-Mobile.

Links: AT&T | Verizon Wireless | Sprint