T-Mobile announced Monday that it’s temporarily suspending its “Bobsled by T-Mobile” service, which allows Facebook users to call one another for free. Bobsled was unveiled less than a week ago, and it appears that T-Mobile is making the move in an effort to distinguish its own branding. The carrier’s full statement, posted on Facebook today, said:We are voluntarily and temporarily suspending the Bobsled service as we work with our partners at Facebook to address their design questions...

Want to call your Facebook friends for free? Now you can. T-Mobile just took the wraps off of its “Bobsled by T-Mobile” brand, which the company says is its first big step into the IP communications business. The first application under the brand sports the same name — “Bobsled by T-Mobile” — and allows users to place free calls from their PC to Facebook friends. “Bobsled by T-Mobile takes our communications services innovation to a whole new dimension, bringing simple and co...

Following on the heels of AT&T and Verizon Wireless today, MetroPCS has announced that its customers can send free text messages and place free phone calls to landlines in Japan. MetroPCS says the offer extends throughout the next 30 days, and that it will “support free calls to mobile numbers in Japan for a timeframe to be determined.” It’s unclear if that means calls to mobile numbers in Japan will be free for more than, or less than, 30 days. (more…)

Google announced Monday the extension of a free calling initiative for U.S.-based Gmail users that was set to expire this month. ”In the spirit of holiday giving and to help people keep in touch in the new year,” Google has extended free calling in the U.S. and Canada through the end of 2011. The promotion applies to all calls made from within Gmail, and is completely separate from Google Voice, which also affords free calling to the U.S. and Canada. Gmail’s recently added voice calling fea...

Google Voice users with friends and relatives living north or the border, rejoice. Not that calls to Canada are overly expensive in the first place, but the Google Voice team has decided to eat that marginal expense — just as they did when they were GrandCentral — and make calling to Canada free once again. That’s right Google Voice users, the next time you need to call and taunt your Canadian friends when your team is playing the Blue Jays it won’t cost you a dime. Now if only you cou...