Sprint is giving away one million internet-connected devices, complete with service, to help disadvantaged U.S. high school students get online.
The company just announced the 1Million Project in a bid to "help bridge homework gap" for disadvantaged kids in the country.
The multi-year initiative will provide free mobile devices and internet connectivity to one million high school kids in the U.S. who live in low-income households without reliable internet access.
"Education is the foundation for our society to prosper, and the internet is an incredibly powerful tool for learning. But it's a huge problem in America that we have 5 million households with children that lack internet connections," says Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. "Those kids have a huge disadvantage and we are failing them."
The company does not specifically mention which devices it will give away; these could be phones, tablets, laptops or hot spots. The group does note that it will distribute the gadgets over five years.
According to Claure, Sprint will try to be "flexible" regarding which devices eligible high school students can choose. The Sprint CEO further adds that various manufacturers are already on board with this initiative, committing to providing the devices for free.
High school students who receive a free device as part of the 1Million Project will also get a free 3 GB LTE data plan, with an additional 2 GB of lower 2G speeds once the data cap is reached. Sprint plans to pilot the program in January 2017 and ensure that disadvantaged students have internet access for up to four years of high school.
Internet connectivity has substantially changed the way kids access information and those without a reliable internet connectivity at home are at a significant disadvantage compared to their counterparts who have internet access.
Sprint wants to bridge that gap and bring one million underprivileged students online, especially since an increasing number of teachers now expect students to use the internet for some assignments.
Claure thinks that this initiative will incur minimal extra costs to Sprint, and the carrier is "consolidating" funds from other charitable initiatives for the 1Million Project.
Free internet-connected devices and service should help high school students with their research and homework, and those kids would likely remember Sprint's generosity later on, when they have to choose their service provider.
The Sprint 1Million pilot program will kick off in January next year in 10 cities across the United States, with a nationwide rollout expected in time for the 2017-2018 school year.
In the meantime, check out the video below to get a better idea of Sprint's 1Million Program.
