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Viber offers free calls from the U.S. to the 7 countries affected by Trump travel ban

Storyline:National News

Mobile calling app Viber is the latest tech company to offer help to those affected by President Trump’s immigration and travel ban.

This morning, the company announced it would indefinitely waive the fees for 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.

On the site, the company offers a brief statement on the matter, which doesn’t go so far as to condemn the travel ban directly, but instead offers support to those affected. Under the heading, “We connect people. No matter who they are or where they’re from,” a statement reads:

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.