Mobile Beacon & TechSoup Announce New 4G Mobile Broadband Offering

4G Modems and Hotspots Now Available to Nonprofits through TechSoup Donation Program

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mobile Beacon (www.mobilebeacon.org), a nationwide leader in providing low-cost, 4G mobile broadband service is now part of TechSoup's Product Donation Program. With a global reach, TechSoup is a nonprofit organization that provides other nonprofits and libraries with the technology and education they need to help fulfill their mission.

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All TechSoup products and services are provided for just a small administrative fee. To date, the company offers more than 400 technology products, provided by more than 45 donor partners. Mobile Beacon becomes the first mobile broadband service provider to join the TechSoup donation program.

"Connectivity is a baseline requirement for nonprofits today – it's how they connect with their communities, supporters and funders, and how they show their face to the world they serve. We are absolutely thrilled to have Mobile Beacon as the first connectivity solution on the TechSoup platform," said Roger Abraham, vice president of Product Programs at TechSoup Global.

Through this partnership, Mobile Beacon is donating one 4G modem, USB modem or mobile hotspot for a nonprofit organization to connect to Mobile Beacon's 4G service. Although 4G service is not included, it is available for purchase at a heavily discounted rate of $10/month for an unlimited 4G data plan.

The purpose behind the partnership is to help make affordable, next-generation mobile broadband service available to community anchor institutions, who in turn, can better serve their constituents. Mobile Beacon's offering is meant to benefit nonprofit organizations, schools, and public libraries that lack traditional Internet access or have slow access or bandwidth constraints, and help them get connected both in the office and remotely.

"Broadband adoption is a critical national priority, and yet the research on this topic consistently shows that one of the major barriers to adoption is cost," said Katherine Messier, Director of Broadband Services for Mobile Beacon. "Addressing that problem has always been the heart of Mobile Beacon's mission. Now, through our partnership with TechSoup, we can make our low-cost 4G service available to a greater number of nonprofits," she added. 

Examples of how Mobile Beacon's broadband service can benefit nonprofits and communities:

• Staff or volunteers can reach their databases remotely while conducting outreach in the community.
• Libraries can enhance digital literacy programs by creating webinars and loaner programs to provide remote access to disadvantaged patrons without internet access at home or persons with disabilities who cannot attend in-house training .
• Healthcare workers can access mobile electronic health records, and social service workers can submit caseworker reports securely.
• Schools can extend access beyond classroom walls to students without technology resources at home.
• Volunteer groups can take advantage of video and other web-based training tools for more cost-effective training and recruitment.

Interested 501(c)(3) nonprofits, schools, and public libraries should visit TechSoup's website (www.techsoup.org) and select "Check Eligibility" on the left-hand side to see if they're eligible for this offering. If they're not yet a TechSoup member, they must sign up and register their organization before they can request donations.

Once their organization is registered with TechSoup, they can select "Get Products" and add the Mobile Beacon offering to their cart. Once they receive a confirmation of eligibility from TechSoup, the nonprofit can apply for the requested donated 4G device and service using Mobile Beacon's online application.

About Mobile Beacon
Mobile Beacon is a pioneer in offering fourth generation (4G) mobile broadband services exclusively to education and nonprofit organizations across the United States. Mobile Beacon was created by a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has more than 20 years experience serving the educational community and one of the largest national educational broadband service (EBS) providers in the country. Through an agreement with Clearwire, Mobile Beacon provides high-speed data services and mobile Internet access to educational and nonprofit organizations. Learn more at http://www.mobilebeacon.org.

About TechSoup Global
TechSoup Global, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1987 on the belief that technology is a powerful enabler for social change. Alongside its partners — including foundations and corporations, governments and NGOs, social entrepreneurs and volunteers — TechSoup Global is working towards the day when every nonprofit and social benefit organization on the planet has the technology resources and knowledge it needs to operate at its full potential. Today, TechSoup Global has 211 employees, an annual operating budget of US$27 million, and operates programs in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East through a network of independent capacity-building NGOs.

With support of leading technology companies, including Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, and Symantec, TechSoup Global and its network have reached more than 167,000 organizations and distributed more than 8.7 million technology products in 38 countries, enabling participants to save more than US$2.9 billion in IT expenses since 2002. TechSoup Global also runs NetSquared, an ambitious global experiment that empowers individuals at the local level to build and share innovative technology solutions to social problems.

Contact: Katherine Messier, (401) 934-0500

SOURCE Mobile Beacon