Virgin Media O2 presses for more… – News

Virgin Media O2 and environmental charity Hubbub are running a PR campaign to encourage people to donate unwanted phones to Community Calling, which will be donated to those in need.

Community Calling was founded in 2020 in response to the pandemic to provide smartphones to people who could not afford the devices or connectivity to access the internet.

The initiative has already distributed 20,000 devices to people in need across the country, including victims of domestic violence, refugees and disadvantaged communities.

Partners include Women’s Aid, Crisis, Migrant Help and Support Children with Diabetes.

The devices are connected to free O2 mobile data plans from the National Databank, which was set up by Virgin Media O2 and the charity Good Things Foundation. Unwanted working smartphones can be sent to Community Calling for free, where accredited technology partner Genuine Solutions will wipe the data from the devices before handing them over to someone who needs them.

The charity forms part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan, which aims to encourage consumers to help tackle e-waste.

A Virgin Media O2 survey found that 70 per cent of people feel guilty about not doing enough to support charities or people in need, with almost half of those surveyed saying they would donate an item to a worthy cause if they knew it would have a positive impact on someone’s life.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “PPeople want to do more to help communities in need. With millions of unused phones tucked away in drawers and garages, they have the power to change lives by donating their devices to Virgin Media O2 and Hubbub’s Community Calling programme.

– said Alex Robinson, CEO of Hubbub “We’ve made it simpler to encourage even more businesses and individuals to donate their old devices to support those at risk of digital exclusion.”