Leading UK telecoms company to offer free mobile data for Christmas

Telecommunications giant Virgin Media O2 is currently rolling out its joint-project National Databank nationwide to all its O2-owned stores.

This development comes alongside two charities designed to fight homelessness, and includes an increase in how much data is made available to users who require it.

Created by a partnership between the Good Things Foundation and Virgin Media O2, The National Databank is described as working like a foodbank, but for data instead of edible goods. It provides O2 mobile data, call and texts free of charge. As part of the charitable endeavour, by the close of 2025 Virgin Media O2 will have committed over 61 million gigabytes worth of O2 data.

Since December 7, more than 240 O2 outlets across the country became “National Databank Digital Inclusion Hubs”. Regardless of their current mobile provider, these sites now provide free O2 data to people throughout the UK who are experiencing data poverty.

The new roll out comes a year after a successful pilot version of the National Databank last Christmas. December 2022 saw the initiative adopted in 10 different O2 stores, and now Virgin Media O2 and the Good Things Foundation have dramatically increased accessibility for this year’s festive season.

In response to research showing that many are struggling financially this winter, Virgin Media O2 has chosen to boost the amount of free data available through the inclusion hubs to 25 gigabytes per month for a six-month period. This is the equivalent of approximately 275 hours’ worth of internet browsing time a month.