Sprint today said it plans to give away 1 million free devices with up to four years of service to low-income and/or disadvantaged high school students around the country.
The program will provide a free smartphone, tablet, laptop, or hotspot device with 3 GB of high-speed LTE data per month.
High school students who receive a phone will be able to use it as a mobile hotspot as well as make unlimited calls and send unlimited text messages.
Sprint believes the 1Million Project will help create opportunities that students without internet access might otherwise not have.
“Education is the foundation for our society to prosper, and the internet is an incredibly powerful tool for learning,” explained Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. The 5 million households that lack internet connections are at “a huge disadvantage and we are failing them. All of us at Sprint are committed to changing this by providing 1 million students in need with free devices and free wireless connections.”
Sprint is partnering with non-profits EveryoneOn and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance to help identify eligible students as well as distribute the devices. Sprint didn’t say what devices might be provided.
