Early today, terrorists attacked the international airport and subway station in Brussels, killing at least 31 people. Since then, the Belgian capital has been on lockdown as the officials attempt to find the identity of at least two suicide bombers that set off two of the three bombs at the airport. The terrorists could not have picked a worse time during the crowded early rush of people going to work. In this aftermath of chaos, many Canadians are wondering if their family and friends are okay and unharmed. In the spirit of extending a helping hand, Telus put out a tweet to “Please connect with your loved ones in #Brussels. All calls and texts to and from the area are free until Apr. 5.” This timeframe also includes Koodo Mobile as they waive the fee for all texts and calls to the area. Wind Mobile is also throwing out some goodwill and said that all calls and texts to Belgium will be free for all prepaid and postpaid subscribers from March 22 through March 28.
One of our sources has reached out to all of the Canadian carriers to see if they are offering free text and calling, but have not heard back yet, except Wind Mobile. While these acts are very tragic, it is nice to see a lending hand to help those relatives to try and track down their loved ones. The major US carriers are also offering free texts and calling to Brussels and Facebook is offering free Safety Checks. Sometimes not knowing is the hardest thing to handle during this madness of terrorist attacks and during the aftermath as rescue workers work to account for everybody. The mobile phone is a device that so many carry with them all of the time and if cell towers or Wi-Fi is working, they can be a lifeline to either call for help or call to see if people you know have made it to safety. Rescuers can even try and make a phone call to you in an attempt to locate where you might be, as well as using the GPS to track where you are located. The mobile phone can be used for so much more than a mere phone call.