Gogo, T-Mobile teams to provide free in-flight texting, voicemail

Itasca Commercial airline Wi-Fi and entertainment provider Gogo said it will with T-Mobile to deliver free in-flight texting and voicemail to their customers on all Gogo equipped U.S. airline aircraft.

Beginning Sept. 17, T-Mobile customers can exclusively use the new service on more than 2,000 commercial aircraft operating in the U.S.

The deal allows T-Mobile customers to send and receive text and picture messages as well as visual voicemail using their own smartphone and phone number over Gogo's in-flight Wi-Fi system at no cost,

"One of our goals is to engage the entire plane with our connectivity enabled products and services, whether that's by helping to keep passengers productive, entertained or simply connected to friends and family on the ground," said Gogo's president and CEO, Michael Small. "By offering T-Mobile customers the ability to freely text and receive voicemail in flight, we are engaging a certain segment of the plane who might not want a full connectivity session, but still wants to reach out to their network on the ground."

To access the free messaging and voicemail services, T-Mobile customers will need to have their Wi-Fi Calling-enabled phone in airplane mode and connected to Gogo Wi-Fi.

"Today, we're extending T-Mobile's coverage all the way to 30,000 feet - and well beyond the reach of any carrier network," said Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer of T-Mobile. "And, with Gogo, we've got the best partner possible, the undisputed king of in-flight Wi-Fi. Together, we're keeping T-Mobile customers connected throughout the flight with unlimited texting and voicemail - for absolutely no additional cost."