T-Mobile becomes first carrier to enable 988 number for mental health services
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile has added support for the 988 emergency mental health services number more than a year and a half ahead of the Federal Communications Commission's deadline, the company announced on Friday. T-Mobile customers who dial 988 will be connected to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) and its network of crisis centers across the US. T-Mobile says it is the first carrier in the US to make 988 available to its customers.
T-Mobile chief technology officer Abdul Saad said in a statement that making the shorter emergency number available to customers was a matter of urgency for us, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and the holiday season approaches."
In 2019, the FCC released a report suggesting a three-digit...