In the wake of the horrific concert bombing in Manchester, AT&T is offering free calls to the area and will credit any calls or SMS messages made to England from the 22nd to 24th. Virgin Media is making all calls to Manchester landlines in the 0161 prefix area free. Virgin Mobile in the US is also waiving fees, as is Sprint. No word yet from T-Mobile or Verizon, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them do the same soon.

.@VirginMobileUSA Waives Fees to United Kingdom Following Terror Attack in #Manchester https://t.co/ITpGvwqi6c — Virgin Mobile USA (@virginmobileusa) May 23, 2017

Last night's bombing in Manchester was a tragedy. If you have a loved one that might have been affected, or if you have family in the area for which you are concerned, these carrier promotions can allow you to check in and make sure that they are ok without having to worry about how much it might cost. Keep in mind that networks might be congested, so SMS messages are likely to be more reliably delivered, even if there is a delay.

EE in the UK is also allowing anyone to charge their phones in Manchester at its stores. Although not all US carriers have made offers yet, I expect once the news of AT&T, Sprint, and Virgin Mobile hits, they'll be likely to follow suit. We will update this post if any other carriers elect to allow free communications to the UK and Manchester.