Free broadband offer extended for school students

With many households feeling the pinch of inflation and other financial challenges, Spark New Zealand and Ciena have confirmed that they will continue to offer free broadband throughout 2023 to eligible students who find that cost is a barrier to having an internet connection at home.

“As the cost-of-living continues to increase, for some households this could mean having to choose between putting food on the table or paying for broadband,” said Spark CEO, Jolie Hodson. “In this instance, internet access naturally becomes a luxury that many choose to go without. However, students without broadband are at a significant disadvantage compared to their peers, who can get online to access extra learning, complete homework, and learn valuable digital skills.

“Furthermore, as we’ve experienced recently, sometimes unexpected events can occur, which can mean that students are unable to physically attend school. In these instances, those students who can’t get online at home are unable to continue learning and fall further behind.

“Our subsidised broadband product, Skinny Jump, provides over 23,000 homes across Aotearoa with low-cost wireless broadband from just $5 a month, but thanks to our partner, Ciena, we have been able to provide Skinny Jump free to eligible students since 2021.”

Game changer

The ‘Ciena Jump for Students Fund’ offers eligible students across New Zealand who find that cost is a barrier to having an internet connection at home, a free Skinny Jump wireless modem and broadband connection – including 210GB of free data per month, until the end of the school year. Shivika Prasad, Digital Equity Lead at Manurewa High School in South Auckland, says that the ‘Ciena Jump for Students Fund’ has significantly benefited its students since launching in 2021.

“This fund has been a real game changer for more than 100 of our students and their families. Having access to the internet at home has empowered these students to take charge of their online learning, especially during more challenging times as we’ve experienced over the last couple of years.

“But the most remarkable thing is that providing internet access at home means that everyone in the household including the students’ wider wha - nau also receives access and a chance to develop digital skills and capabilities. By extension this benefits our wider Manurewa community as well.”

The New Zealand Government’s Digital Blueprint estimates that one in five New Zealanders experience digital exclusion in some form for a number of different reasons ranging from access, affordability, skills, motivation, trust and more. And although providing free access isn’t going to fix the issue of digital inequity on its own, a solution like the ‘Ciena Jump for Students Fund’ that addresses affordability is a good place to start, believes Matthew Vesperman, Regional Managing Director, Ciena Asia Pacific.

“As a key enabler of innovations that drive connectivity and fuel our digital world, Ciena remains committed to providing greater access to the Internet, an essential learning tool for today’s young minds,” he said.

“The Ciena Jump for Students fund is one of the first projects that we committed to fund as part of our Digital Inclusion social impact programme. To see it being continued, together with our customer Spark, is definitely a breakthrough in our goals to help bridge the digital divide.”

Students and schools can learn more, including eligibility criteria and how to find your nearest Jump partner by going to skinny.co.nz/jump/ciena

About Skinny Jump

Skinny Jump is a not-for-profit, subsidised broadband product from Spark for anyone who finds that cost is a barrier to having an internet connection at home. It was first launched in 2016, for households with school-aged children, but in March 2020 was extended to include anyone who finds that cost is a barrier to having an internet connection at home.

skinny.co.nz/jump