Virgin Media O2 renews digital inclusion partnership

Virgin Media O2 has renewed its partnership with Good Things Foundation which provides O2 SIMs with free mobile data, calls and texts through community organisations, libraries and O2 retail stores.

Virgin Media O2 and Good Things Foundation launched the National Databank in 2021 to distribute free mobile connectivity to people unable to afford it. More than 550,000 people have received free O2 mobile data.

O2 stores have accounted for almost a quarter of the O2 SIM cards distributed through the programme, giving the operator’s retail estate a significant role in delivering the scheme.

The National Databank has subsequently expanded beyond its original partners, with other UK mobile operators contributing SIMs and data to the programme.

The renewed agreement forms part of VMO2’s wider Responsible Business Plan it says have connected one million people experiencing financial hardship since 2021.

Good Things Foundation operates through a network of more than 5,000 community organisations across the UK.

Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:

“We’re proud of what we’ve delivered with Good Things Foundation, and we’ll build on our work to help tackle data poverty so we can connect more communities in need nationwide,” she said.

Good Things Foundation CEO Vicki Sellick (below) said the partnership would continue to provide connectivity to people unable to afford it through the organisation’s community network.