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What is data poverty? How O2 is supporting the National Databank | The Drop | Inspiration | O2
Data poverty is a continuing problem – but help is at hand
As an O2 customer, you’re helping us support the National Databank to provide free data to the people who need it this summer
How big of an issue is data poverty?
We live in a digital society where equal access to the internet, sadly isn’t a reality. According to Good Thing Foundation’s research, 2.5 million households struggle to afford the internet in the UK, and 1 in 14 households have no home internet access at all . Here are the facts*:
- 8 million households reported difficulty in affording communications services
- 3.7 million households with children do not meet the Minimum Digital Living Standard (4 in 10 households in the UK)
- 8.5 million people lack basic digital skills
*The above statistics have been taken from Ofcom reports and Good Thing Foundation’s Digital Nation infographic.
How does O2 support the National Databank?
Since Virgin Media O2 joined forces with Good Things Foundation and founded the National Databank, we’ve connected over 90,000 people with O2 SIM cards , each providing free data, texts and minutes every month for up to 12 months. And we’ve increased the monthly data from 15GB to 25GB. But that’s not all, we’ve also committed to providing 152,000 SIM cards to the National Databank by the end of 2025.
Julie
Before Julie was able to access her local National Databank, she felt isolated, unsafe, and would never have attempted to go online.
But with her newly learnt digital skills and free mobile data, she can socialise, bank, shop, and more online. Her confidence and sense of independence is constantly growing, and she’s particularly happy that she doesn’t have to keep asking her kids to help her out.
Amer
Amer came to the UK as an asylum seeker just over a year ago. Upon arriving here, he had no way of accessing the internet, meaning he was locked out of many job opportunities, his ability to connect with his loved ones back home, and other essential online services.
Thanks to you, the National Databank enabled him to finally access the online world and all the benefits it has to offer. This helped Amer complete his English course, settle into life in the UK, make crucial appointments, and speak with his GP.
Discover more stories showing the real-life impact of our work with the National Databank
Our work doesn’t stop at free data - Here are some other initiatives we’re supporting:
Internet Matters: Helping parents keep their children safe online
When using the internet, children and teenagers might be vulnerable to online harms, like bullying, identity theft, misinformation, and content we’d rather they didn’t see. So, in partnership with online safety experts Internet Matters, we’ve set up some easy-to-use resources to help your children stay safe online.
Hubbub: Connecting people and tackling e-waste
We’ve also partnered with environmental charity Hubbub to rehome unused smartphones with the people who need them. The devices come with up to 12 months’ free data (25GB), minutes and texts. So far, thousands of phones have been donated. Together we've rehomed 20,000 devices, providing vital support to those who need it most. You can also help by donating your old and working devices to Hubbub to support more people.
The majority of O2 stores are a National Databank
Our teams across the UK are doing their bit to fight data poverty – 241 out of 305 O2 stores are now databanks. So, if you know someone in need of free connectivity, why not find your nearest databank and share it on?
- See below for a list of O2 stores that are currently National Databanks
- O2 120 Oxford Street
- O2 351 Oxford Street
- O2 Aberdeen Bon Accord
- O2 Aberdeen Union Square
- O2 Aintree
- O2 Ashford
- O2 Ashton Under Lyne
- O2 Aylesbury
- O2 Ayr
- O2 Ballymena
- O2 Banbury
- O2 Bangor Bloomfield Centre
- O2 Bangor Gwynned
- O2 Barnsley
- O2 Basildon
- O2 Basingstoke
- O2 Bath
- O2 Bedford
- O2 Belfast Castle Lane
- O2 Belfast Castlecourt
- O2 Belfast Connswater
- O2 Belfast Forestside
- O2 Belfast Park Centre
- O2 Birkenhead
- O2 Birmingham New Street
- O2 Blackburn
- O2 Blackpool
- O2 Bluewater
- O2 Bolton Market Street
- O2 Boston
- O2 Bournemouth
- O2 Bracknell
- O2 Bradford
- O2 Braehead
- O2 Brent Cross
- O2 Brighton
- O2 Bristol
- O2 Bromley
- O2 Burton on Trent
- O2 Bury
- O2 Bury St Edmunds
- O2 Camberley
- O2 Cambridge
- O2 Canterbury
- O2 Cardiff
- O2 Carlisle
- O2 Chatham
- O2 Chelmsford
- O2 Cheltenham
- O2 Chester Eastgate
- O2 Chesterfield
- O2 Chichester
- O2 Chippenham
- O2 Chorley
- O2 Clydebank
- O2 Colchester
- O2 Coleraine
- O2 Coventry The Precinct
- O2 Craigavon
- O2 Cramlington
- O2 Crawley
- O2 Crewe
- O2 Cribbs Causeway
- O2 Croydon
- O2 Cwmbran
- O2 Darlington
- O2 Derby
- O2 Dudley Merry Hill
- O2 Dumfries
- O2 Dundee
- O2 Dunfermline
- O2 Durham
- O2 East Kilbride
- O2 Eastbourne
- O2 Eastleigh
- O2 Edinburgh Cameron Toll
- O2 Edinburgh St James
- O2 Edinburgh The Gyle
- O2 Elgin
- O2 Enfield
- O2 Epsom
- O2 Exeter
- O2 Falkirk
- O2 Fareham
- O2 Farnborough
- O2 Folkestone
- O2 Fort Kinnaird
- O2 Gateshead Metro Centre
- O2 Glasgow Buchanan Galleries
- O2 Glasgow Buchanan Street
- O2 Glasgow Fort
- O2 Glenrothes
- O2 Gloucester
- O2 Grantham
- O2 Grimsby
- O2 Guildford
- O2 Halifax
- O2 Hamilton
- O2 Hanley
- O2 Harlow
- O2 Harrogate
- O2 Harrow
- O2 Hastings
- O2 Haywards Heath
- O2 Hemel Hempstead
- O2 Hereford
- O2 High Wycombe
- O2 Horsham
- O2 Huddersfield
- O2 Hull Jameson Street
- O2 Huntingdon
- O2 Inverness
- O2 Ipswich
- O2 Isle of Wight
- O2 Kendal
- O2 Kettering
- O2 Kilmarnock
- O2 Kings Lynn
- O2 Kingston Upon Thames
- O2 Lakeside
- O2 Lancaster
- O2 Leamington Spa
- O2 Leeds Briggate
- O2 Leeds Crossgates
- O2 Leeds Trinity
- O2 Leeds White Rose Centre
- O2 Leicester Highcross
- O2 Lincoln
- O2 Lisburn
- O2 Liverpool Church Street
- O2 Liverpool New Mersey
- O2 Liverpool One
- O2 Livingston
- O2 Llandudno
- O2 London at The O2
- O2 London Camden
- O2 London Ealing
- O2 London Fulham Broadway
- O2 London Hammersmith
- O2 London Islington
- O2 London Kensington High Street
- O2 London Kings Road
- O2 London The Strand
- O2 London Tottenham Hale
- O2 London Victoria Street
- O2 London Westfield White City
- O2 Londonderry Foyleside
- O2 Luton
- O2 Macclesfield
- O2 Maidenhead
- O2 Maidstone
- O2 Manchester Market Street
- O2 Mansfield
- O2 Meadowhall
- O2 Middlesbrough
- O2 Milton Keynes
- O2 Newark on Trent
- O2 Newcastle
- O2 Newport
- O2 Newry
- O2 Newton Abbot
- O2 Newtownards
- O2 Northallerton
- O2 Northampton
- O2 Northwich
- O2 Norwich
- O2 Nottingham
- O2 Nuneaton
- O2 Oldham
- O2 Omagh
- O2 Oxford
- O2 Perth
- O2 Peterborough
- O2 Plymouth
- O2 Poole
- O2 Portadown
- O2 Portsmouth
- O2 Preston
- O2 Reading
- O2 Redditch
- O2 Redhill
- O2 Rhyl
- O2 Richmond Upon Thames
- O2 Romford
- O2 Salisbury
- O2 Scarborough
- O2 Scunthorpe
- O2 Seaham
- O2 Selby
- O2 Sheffield Fargate
- O2 Silverburn
- O2 Sittingbourne
- O2 Slough
- O2 Solihull
- O2 South Shields
- O2 Southampton
- O2 Southend
- O2 Southport
- O2 St Albans
- O2 St Helens
- O2 Stafford
- O2 Staines
- O2 Stevenage
- O2 Stirling
- O2 Stockport
- O2 Sunderland
- O2 Sutton
- O2 Swansea Oxford Street
- O2 Swindon
- O2 Taunton
- O2 Teesside - Teeside Retail Park
- O2 Teesside Retail Park
- O2 Telford
- O2 Thanet Westwood Cross
- O2 Torquay
- O2 Trafford Centre
- O2 Tunbridge Wells
- O2 Uxbridge
- O2 Wakefield
- O2 Walsall
- O2 Warrington
- O2 Waterlooville
- O2 Watford
- O2 Weston Favell
- O2 Weston Super Mare
- O2 Weymouth
- O2 Widnes
- O2 Wigan
- O2 Wilmslow
- O2 Winchester
- O2 Windsor
- O2 Wisbech
- O2 Woking
- O2 Wolverhampton
- O2 Worcester
- O2 Workington
- O2 Worthing
- O2 Wrexham Eagles Meadow
- O2 Wrexham Hope Street
- O2 Yeovil
- O2 York
