Mobile giant Virgin Media O2 has donated an extra 15 million GB of free data to help low-income households stay connected during the cost of living crisis. The data has been given to the National Databank to distribute to some of the nine in 10 households who say they may have to ditch their internet connection to save money.
Described as like a foodbank but for free mobile data, texts and calls, the National Databank was founded by Virgin Media O2 and the digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation a year ago, with the original intention of helping over 200,000 people get connected by the end of 2023..
Around two million homes are at risk of digital inclusion due to rising costs, despite 85 per cent of households saying connectivity is vital, and the telecoms company is donating 61 million GB of free data to help people in need stay connected to essential internet services during the current financial challenge.
Read more: Millions of low-income households pay more than they need for their broadband
Since the National Databank was launched, it has handed out 50,000 SIM cards and more than 10,000 O2 voucher codes have been issued. It operates through a network of local online centres, where staff and volunteers are available to answer any questions you may have. You can find one near you here.
The Databank is also supported by Vodafone and Three, and once accepted, a person can have access to data for up to 12 months.
To qualify for free data, you must be over-18 and from a low-income household, and in addition:
- Have no access or insufficient access to the internet at home
- And/or has no or insufficient access to the internet when away from the home
- And/or cannot afford their existing monthly contract or top up
The donation means that people most affected by the rise in the cost of living can now receive 20GB of free O2 mobile data per month – an increase from 15GB per month. As more households struggle to afford data, the initiative is calling other mobile networks and businesses to join the National Databank. Earlier this summer, Greggs Foundation signed up to the National Databank, and Virgin Media O2 announced it had re-homed 10,000 smartphones to people who need them via its Community Calling initiative with environmental charity, Hubbub.
A spokesperson from the Good Things Foundation, said: "The people being supported by the UK National Databank are cut off from the basic daily activities most people in our country take for granted. They are cut off from contacting loved ones, from job interviews, from finding essential health or other information online, and cut off from digitised public services. We believe that no-one should be left behind. The UK National Databank brings free mobile internet data connectivity to people who can’t afford it and who are often also experiencing multiple inequalities in today’s society."
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