Natural calamities sure do have a way of bringing people together, and Hurricane Sandy seems to have managed to go one up. Today, AT&T and T-Mobile announced a network sharing initiative, to help citizens of New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy ran riot in major parts of the two states, impacting the normal lives of thousands of people,in addition to damage to property.

Under the agreement, customers in the affected areas will be able to place calls and operate their phones as they normally would, but their calls/data be carried by whichever network is the strongest in that location. The roaming will be seamless on the end users’ side, and there would be no change in their existing plans or rates. T-Mobile and AT&T both utilize network technology based on GSM and UMTS standards, allowing for sharing of data traffic.

+1 to both AT&T and T-Mobile for rising up to the occasion and lending a helping hand. For a more detailed account, you can read the full press release here.