Greggs and Virgin Media O2 UK Gift Free Mobile Data to Families

British bakery chain Greggs has teamed-up with O2 (VMO2) to trial a new scheme, which aims to help more than 255,000 people get connected by the end of 2023 – partly by supplying 15GB of “free mobile data” (mobile broadband) connectivity to families in need (supported via the Greggs Hardship Fund).

The new scheme will essentially supply free O2 SIM cards and voucher codes to families who need them, distributed via schools across the UK. At present this is just a trial, which in practice means that it’s currently restricted to schools in Scotland, the North East, South East and the Midlands.

Admittedly, 15GB isn’t much and the announcement doesn’t mention how long this will last before it expires, although VMO2 makes the point that this is more than three times the amount used in a month by the average mobile phone user in the UK (Ofcom pegs this at 4.5GB on average). But it should be noted that rival operator Three UK recently put their 4G and 5G average at 19GB per user per month.

Nicola Green, VMO2, said:

“We’re proud to see the National Databank go from strength to strength, providing free mobile data to people who need it. We’re delighted to welcome the Greggs Foundation, so we can support more families across the UK and help connect the disconnected.”

As above, all of this is being conducted alongside the National Databank project, which has been described as “food bank for data“. Vodafone and Three UK also support the wider scheme, while EE has yet to make a commitment.