We're changing the devices available to members after receiving word from our supplier, Mobile Citizen, that they will no longer offer the MiFi 8000 and the CoolPad Surf and are replacing them with the Franklin T9 and the Alcatel Linkzone 2.

If you are an existing member, nothing about your membership will change. Replacements for in-warranty devices will still be available from our hardware supplier, Mobile Citizen. For out-of-warranty replacements, we will be able to provide MiFi 8000s or CoolPad Surfs until our limited remaining supply runs out.

New members can now sign up at the Contributor level and choose between the Franklin T9 and the Alcatel Linkzone 2. Signups for the Contributor Plus level are currently disabled while we research a replacement device for the MiFi 8000, which is no longer offered. We'll post any updates about this when they are available.

If you are already a Contributor Plus member, your membership will not be impacted and can continue to renew as usual.

We expect delays of up to a week while we wait for the first shipment of new hotspots to arrive. The new devices have all possible T-Mobile and Sprint bands for increased coverage. Currently, we have no information regarding how the merger will impact our membership, and at this moment we can only confirm that our devices run on the Sprint network.

However, the Sprint acquisition of Clear in 2013 resulted in dramatically increased coverage for members, and we are hopeful that this merger will have a similar result. As soon as we get these new devices in, we will be able to share more information about their capabilities and availability. Once we have more information about these devices and the ongoing merger, we will post an announcement on our website.

If you have any questions, please email us at helpdesk@calyxinstitute.org