By 
Hurricane Sandy shook a lot of things up on the east coast, and its arrival even had some implications for parts of North America not directly hit by the storm. Folks are no doubt scrambling to get in contact with loved ones, call aide offices and checking up on their insurance policies, and AT&T and T-Mobile both seem to recognize that.
That’s why the two carriers have entered into a temporary agreement that’ll allow each of its customers in the New York and New Jersey area to roam on each other’s networks at no extra cost. The change will be seamless for customers so there’s no further action required for those in affected areas to take should they find themselves outside of their respective carriers’ coverage zones.
The carriers stated that this would only be for those in the affected areas, though an exact map hasn’t been offered at this time. We’d say it’s safe to assume much of the cities in the aforementioned states are safe, but if you are having any doubts be sure to call T-Mobile and verify that your area is included. The agreement will include both voice and data traffic so you won’t have to worry about extreme data overages, either.
Immediate threat from Sandy has pretty much passed on by, but it left tons of destruction in its path. Dozens have been reported dead, and millions were without power at one point. While order continues to be restored in several cities and states along the east coast America’s two premier GSM carriers are joining hands to make sure everyone stays connected in this unpleasant time. Read on for full press details.
AT&T and T-Mobile Open Networks
to Customers of Both Carriers in New York and New Jersey
Dallas and Bellevue, Wash. — October 31, 2012 — In the wake of destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, AT&T and T-Mobile are taking extraordinary measures to make sure our customers can stay in touch.
AT&T and T-Mobile have entered into an agreement to enable roaming on their networks to customers of both companies in the heavily impacted areas and where capacity is available and for subscribers with a compatible device.
AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to place calls just as they normally would, but their calls will be carried by whichever network is most operational in their area. This will be seamless for AT&T and T-Mobile customers with no change to their current rate plans or service agreements even if the phone indicates the device is attached to the other carrier’s network.
T-Mobile and AT&T both utilize network technology based on GSM and UMTS standards, which allows for this sharing of voice and data traffic.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s largest 4G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.
Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available athttp://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.
© 2012 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 4G not available everywhere. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
About T-Mobile USA
Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG (OTCQX: DTEGY). By the end of the second quarter of 2012, approximately 130 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 33.2 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM and UMTS and additionally HSPA+ 21/HSPA+ 42. T-Mobile USA’s innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile USA among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality.
For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG. For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visit www.telekom.de/investor-
relations.
Good for the people on those networks in that area. At least these two corporations aren’t completely heartless monster.
hmm where’s Sprint and Verizon? no help from them?
Sprint and Verizon already have a roaming agreement
I thought AT&T and T-mo went to a roaming agreement after the break up..??
Perhaps I should clarify. This agreement means Sandy victims won’t be charged for data and voice roaming under each respective company’s standard plans. The agreement you’re talking about is an internal agreement between the two to allow roaming in the first place.
OH duh. Thank you honestly. I would have not put the two together till i got some rest. which would be tomorrow
good for them! all in sandys wake are in my prayers
The hurricane knocked out our internet, which prompted my cheap a$$ to upgrade AT&T’s old 200MB/mo plan to 300 so that I wouldn’t get hit with an overage @ 98% (since it resets when you upgrade, giving 500 meg total this month).
Didn’t expect any mercy from AT&T here though…
They should take it one step further and waive excess data and per-minute fees since several utilities seem to be out all over the affected areas. Imagine the overage fees many post-paid customers will get next month!
Why? You don’t need service to a phone to dial 911, so why should AT&T give free service? I can’t stand this notion that everyone is owed something.
Nice of them to do this.
Wow there is hope after all. Well done A & T.
Been without an AT&T signal for 4 days….Verizon slow but no issues….fu AT&T and thank goodness for Verizon…….its surreal not to have a signal especially when you reality need one
So…. “F” at&t for not being able to wave a magic wand and automatically repair damage from a natural disaster? 4 days without cell signal is a first world problem, and you should be extremely ashamed of yourself. Many people lost their lives in this storm and you are complaining about losing cell service for a few days.