There are some organizations with access to a special T-Mobile based plan intended for non-profits. These operators are qualified to tap into an old legacy plan that Sprint inherited during its acquisition of Clear in 2013, and these particular plans are administered by master agents Mobile Beacon & Mobile Citizen behind the scenes. Sprint's acquisition by T-Mobile requires that T-Mobile continue providing these low-cost plans.
Sprint is now part of T-Mobile, as per the Policies & Perks:
Top Pick Plan Notes: These plans are truly unlimited data for the included hotspot device, with no caps and it's supposed to have no throttling. Data is subject to network management. You are not the plan owner and are instead receiving the plan as a benefit of your membership to the non-profit. Pricing ranges from $12-$50/month depending on the non-profit and if you choose monthly, quarterly, or annual memberships.
- Carrier Networks Used: T-Mobile (formerly Sprint)
- Carrier Relation: Non-Profit Reseller
- Plan Types Available: Data Only
- Device Types Permitted: Hotspot - Device Specific
- Device Purchase Required: Yes
- Mobile Hotspot Use: Yes - all
- 5G Access: Yes - on specified devices/plans
- Throttling: No / Yes - video throttling has been noted on Calyx (T-Mobile devices)
- Network Management: After 50GB
- International Roaming: No international coverage is included.
- Domestic Roaming:
- T-Mobile SIM: 300MB of roaming data
- Plan Period: Monthly, Quarterly, Annual
- Data Roll Over: No
- Overage Charges: No
- Streaming: Calyx - throttling noted on video streaming
- Unlimited: Yes
News, Video, & Status:
Members of our team have utilized these plans over the years, confirming the plans work as intended.
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- Calyx Institute - A long-time non-profit dedicated to protecting internet privacy offers these plans as part of their membership, which are open to all (no income verification needed). They offer a 'Sustainer' membership level for $750 for the first year that includes an M2000 5G T-Mobile hotspot device, and then service is $500/year for renewals. Their 'Contributor' membership level is $500, which includes a basic level LTE mobile hotspot device and 1 year of unlimited service - additional years are $400/yr. They also offer quarterly payment options for the Contributor, which works out to $600/year. This makes the range in cost $33-50/month depending on the option you select.
- PCs for People - Available only to qualifying low-income households. Monthly service comes out to about $15/month, plus equipment purchase.
- ConnectAll - Qualified members (presumed to be of non-profit or low-income status) can order service for $11.95/mo plus equipment purchase.
Shopping for Cellular Data Plans
Finding the right plans for your needs is no easy task - quite simply mobile travelers using cellular data as their primary way online is not how most carriers have designed their plans. Many of us want plans that provide copious amounts of data.
Here's our video going over ways to get LOTS of data for use in your travels:
But a data plan alone will not keep you online. You also need the right gear, signal enhancing strategy and planning your travels around the options you carry with you. Head on over to our collection of guides:
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