McLEAN, Va., April 27, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kajeet, the only wireless service provider dedicated solely to providing safe, mobile connectivity for students, and Novatel Wireless (Nasdaq:MIFI), a leading provider of solutions for the Internet of Things and inventor of the MiFi® mobile hotspot technology, are partnering with Spartanburg School District Seven and the Spartanburg Housing Authority for a pilot program to provide students in public housing with filtered Internet connectivity to access online textbooks, apps, emails, documents and websites, as well as communicate with their teachers. Seven in 10 teachers assign homework that requires high-speed Internet access, and yet, on average, only 30 percent of students can access the Internet at home, according to the Federal Communications Commission.
In the past two years, Spartanburg School District Seven has been a leading district in South Carolina to put technology in the hands of all its children by providing all students in grades 3 through 12 with either an Apple iPad or MacBook Air.
"These devices are giving them opportunities—a tool to further their education," said Christine Horowitz, director of instructional technology for Spartanburg District Seven. "When they take their iPads and computers home, it extends the learning day. Now we want to level the playing field for those without Internet access at home. This new program will benefit our students and their families."
Horowitz says based on their last survey, the district estimates that 50 percent of its students still can't access the Internet from home. They look at this as a community issue and are eager to engage others in bringing about solutions. The district partners with local business, churches and organizations to ensure there are Wi-Fi locations for its students, but their concern turned to the students living in public housing who may not be able to access even those locations.
"Public housing authorities provide adequate and affordable housing, but no Internet," said Miguel A. Pastrana, IT Systems Analyst for the Spartanburg Housing Authority. "I am a big proponent of education, and this is a great opportunity to level the playing field for these students. At the Spartanburg Housing Authority, we are always looking for ways to assist or make an impact on our residents' lives. By collaborating with Spartanburg School District 7, Kajeet and Novatel Wireless, we all now have the opportunity, not only to make a contribution to the residents and the community at large, but to the students who currently do not have many outlets and at times feel that no one cares."
As part of the program, Kajeet and Novatel Wireless will provide Kajeet SmartSpot® solutions--a MiFi brand mobile hotspot by Novatel Wireless — and the Kajeet Education Broadband to ensure the students are accessing safe, filtered broadband for educational purposes. Since the devices are provided by the school district, the Spartanburg Housing Authority wanted to ensure the broadband being provided was filtered and managed to keep them on task.
"Our MiFi technology is so much more than a mobile hotspot," says Chris Yeatts, Director of Product Management for Novatel Wireless. "Combined with Kajeet's innovative cloud platform and service, the solution has become a powerful educational tool that enables educators to provide mobile broadband for all students with the ability to keep the focus on education."
Currently partnering with more than 50 districts in 22 states, Kajeet is keeping students connected on multiple national 4G LTE wireless broadband networks to ensure that students have a level playing field for academic success, improved test scores, and college and career readiness.
To ensure safe and affordable connectivity outside of the classroom and not just at home, schools issue the Kajeet SmartSpot solution, a MiFi® mobile hotspot from Novatel Wireless, combined with the innovative Kajeet Sentinel® cloud portal, providing customizable filtered Internet access to keep students focused on school work and provide educational connectivity. This keeps students on-task and controls costs. As part of the Kajeet solution, teachers and administrators receive reports with learning analytics to help improve student achievement.
About Novatel Wireless, Inc.
Novatel Wireless, Inc. (Nasdaq:MIFI) is a leader in the design and development of M2M wireless solutions based on 3G and 4G technologies. The Company delivers Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud SAAS services to carriers, distributors, retailers, OEMs and vertical markets worldwide. Product lines include MiFi® Intelligent Mobile Hotspots, USB modems, embedded modules, mobile tracking solutions, control and automation, and asset tracking Solutions. These innovative products provide anywhere, anytime communications solutions for consumers and enterprises. Novatel Wireless is headquartered in San Diego, California. http://www.nvtl.com. @MiFi (Twitter)
(C) 2015 Novatel Wireless, Inc. All rights reserved. Novatel Wireless – inventor of MiFi technology.
About Kajeet®
Kajeet, the only wireless service provider dedicated solely to providing safe, mobile connectivity for students, is bridging the digital divide in school districts across the country. Kajeet provides an affordable mobile broadband solution that connects disadvantaged students to the resources they need to complete required assignments and projects outside of school. The Kajeet SmartSpot® solution, a portable Wi-Fi hotspot combined with the innovative Sentinel® cloud portal, enables administrators and teachers to provide CIPA-compliant, customizable filtered Internet access that keeps students focused on school work and provides off-campus Internet connectivity without worry of data abuse. Kajeet products and services, which operates on both the Sprint and Verizon network, are protected by the following issued U.S. patents 8,929,857; 8,918,080; 8,774,755; 8,774,754; 8,755,768; 8,731,517; 8,725,109; 8,712,371; 8,706,079; 8,667,559; 8,644,796; 8,639,216; 8,634,803; 8,634,802; 8,634,801; 8,630,612; 8,611,885; 8,600,348; 8,594,619; 8,588,735; 8,285,249; 8,078,140; 7,945,238; 7,899,438; 7,881,697. Other patents are pending. For more information, please visit us at kajeet.com/education.