Virgin Media UK Offer Laptops and Mobile Data to Disadvantaged Kids

Cable broadband ISP and TV provider Virgin Media UK has today become the latest operator to launch their own “Help for Home Learners’” initiative, which will provide 1,500 laptops and 4G mobile dongles (inc. 25GB of Mobile Data) to “disadvantaged schoolchildren” across the country to help during lockdown.

The new kit will be distributed through a partnership with the charity, Business in the Community, and the 25GB data allowance is a monthly one. As a way to further boost the number of devices available, Virgin Media will soon be providing a “simple route for the public to donate any spare second-hand laptops and devices” through its existing mobile ‘trade-in’ partner (further details on this will be shared with customers in due course).

The Help for Home Learners initiative also incorporates existing measures Virgin Media has put in place, with the provider working with the Department for Education since last year to offer an additional 20GB of mobile data per month to families who may be struggling. This is alongside zero-rating the Oak National Academy portal, which allows children to access online classes and resources without using any of their mobile data.

Separately, the provider has also asked some of its suppliers and partners to join the company in providing donations, along with its employees, although we don’t yet know what the result of that will be.

Jeff Dodds, Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Media, said:

“Since the start of the pandemic, we have been supporting our customers and helping to close the digital gap for those most in need.

Remote learning can be tough enough without the added pressures and worry of affording devices and connectivity, so we wanted to step up and lend a hand. Our Help for Home Learners initiative will put devices and data into the hands of schoolchildren which, alongside free data boosts and our dedicated Essential broadband package, will mean more pupils can continue their education while schools are closed.”

The above help is in addition to VM’s other promotions, such as their £15 “Essential Broadband” (15Mbps) package for those who receive Universal Credit and offering “vulnerable customers” who are on Pay As You Go (PAYG) contracts 500 minutes, 500 text messages and 1GB of extra data at no extra cost every month (vulnerable customers on Pay Monthly contracts can receive unlimited minutes and 10GB of additional data every month). Both offers are available until the end of March.