‘Skinny Jump’ Internet Connection for those often ‘digitally excluded’

Please see below information about ‘Skinny Jump’ – an initiative to help people who are commonly ‘digitally excluded’ to connect to the internet.  A 30GB prepaid ‘package’ is arranged for only $5.  Further 30GB packages can be bought (up to 5 packages per month as your budget allows).   There is a link to a list of delivery partners at the bottom of this post for those who would like to make use of this opportunity – select a delivery organisation in your area and they will organise this for you:

Skinny Jump

A connectivity initiative that is the brainchild of the Spark Foundation.  Recently relaunched, Skinny Jump’s eligibility criteria has been widened and the pre-paid plan cost lessened; providing opportunities to make a serious dent to those who are digitally-excluded throughout NZ.  In a nutshell:

• Skinny Jump is an initiative of the Spark Foundation (SF) – Spark’s not-for-profit arm
  • The Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa (DIAA) is SF’s major partner, and we work with our Stepping UP partner network to provide the service.
  • While SF are the governing body, the service is offered via Skinny’s mobile network.
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• A free pre-pay WiFi modem that connects to Skinny’s 4G cell-tower network.
  • The modems have a SIM card (like a smartphone) that immediately connect to the nearest cell-tower.
  • The household does not need phone cabling, only a power socket.
  • The modems do not cost the partner or customer anything and are provided by DIAA.

 Households pay $5 for a 30GB plan and can connect all devices (including smartphones) to their new WiFi network

• • Maximum of 5 x 30GB renewals every 30 days, meaning households can purchase up to 150GB but only spend up to $25 in doing so.
  • Top-up vouchers can be purchased from dairies, service stations & supermarkets; anywhere Skinny vouchers are sold.
  • If households can afford to top-up they do, if they can’t, they don’t – giving them budget flexibility and no big monthly bills to deal with.

 Eligibility criteria

• • Families with children in low socio-economic communities
  • People living in rural communities
  • People with disabilities
  • Migrants and refugees with English as a second language
  • Māori & Pasifika youth
  • Offenders and ex-offenders
  • Seniors

 Checking for coverage

• • Referral agencies need to check their client’s home address for coverage.
  • Visit the Skinny Jump website and select ‘Check my address’
    • If the response shows there is coverage, scroll down the page to the map to find the nearest delivery partner. 
    • Some locations advertise their Skinny Jump sessions here to register a client on the next upcoming slot.  Many others don’t schedule, so clients can just visit the partner to sign-up on the spot.
    • If the response says there is no coverage then this will likely be due to cell-towers in the area being at capacity.  Unfortunately, there is no work around for this; however, spaces on the towers do change and it’s worth the client continuing to check the coverage checker in the months ahead.
• Our locations
  • Here is a list of our current delivery partners offering the Skinny Jump service.
  • New partners comes on board weekly, for an updated list please email sue@diaa.nz