Viber Offering Free Call To All Countries Affected By Donald Trump Immigration Ban
Viber is offering help to those affected by President Trump’s immigration and travel ban. This morning, the company announced it would indefinitely discard the charges incurred on calls to landlines or mobile numbers between the U.S. and the seven countries impacted by the travel ban, including Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Similar to other calling apps, direct calls between Viber users are always free, but dialing out to a landline or a mobile phone via the “Viber Out” service would cost money. Viber typically charges a per-minute fee, which could be paid for via a calling plan or by purchasing credit to pay as you go. These rates would vary by the call’s destination.
Viber has fairly quickly rolled out support for free calling in the affected regions, and announced the move via Twitter and a simple informational website, found here
The statement released on their site reads below
"In light of recent events in the United States, we are now offering free calls to any landline or mobile number between the United States and Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen so that those affected will now have one less barrier to cross when trying to reach their loved ones."
Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten, which acquired Viber several years ago, feels very strongly about Trump’s executive order.
Over a series of tweets on Twitter, he came out against the ban, saying how wrong it is to discriminate based on religion and nationality.
Other tech companies leaders have joined protests, donated the ACLU, and are offering legal assistance to employees. Google created a $2 million crisis fund and Lyft is donating $1 million to the ACLU over 4 years, after coming out against the executive order.
Viber’s offer is one of many demonstrations of support that directly impacts the immigrants and refugees, but it would not be surprising if others in the industry soon followed.
Similar to other calling apps, direct calls between Viber users are always free, but dialing out to a landline or a mobile phone via the “Viber Out” service would cost money. Viber typically charges a per-minute fee, which could be paid for via a calling plan or by purchasing credit to pay as you go. These rates would vary by the call’s destination.
Viber has fairly quickly rolled out support for free calling in the affected regions, and announced the move via Twitter and a simple informational website, found here
The statement released on their site reads below
"In light of recent events in the United States, we are now offering free calls to any landline or mobile number between the United States and Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen so that those affected will now have one less barrier to cross when trying to reach their loved ones."
Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten, which acquired Viber several years ago, feels very strongly about Trump’s executive order.
Over a series of tweets on Twitter, he came out against the ban, saying how wrong it is to discriminate based on religion and nationality.
Other tech companies leaders have joined protests, donated the ACLU, and are offering legal assistance to employees. Google created a $2 million crisis fund and Lyft is donating $1 million to the ACLU over 4 years, after coming out against the executive order.
Viber’s offer is one of many demonstrations of support that directly impacts the immigrants and refugees, but it would not be surprising if others in the industry soon followed.
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