Virgin Media O2 UK Has Distributed 1,000 Free WiFi Delivering 4G Get Boxes

Mobile operator O2 (Virgin Media) and UK tech charity Jangala have this morning announced that, over the past year, they’ve provided more than 1,000 internet-enabling “Get Boxes” to charities and local authorities across the country, which are providing free WiFi hotspots to help thousands of people affected by “data poverty” to get online.

Just to be clear. The Get Boxes are effectively small (book sized) WiFi routers that can each connect up to around 20 people (there’s a larger Big Box unit for connecting up to 5,000 users!). The idea is that these routers can be posted to a user, who can then simply plug it into mains electricity and establish a secure Wi-Fi network instantly – linked back to O2’s mobile broadband (3G / 4G) connectivity, using data from the National Databank.

The original partnership for this, which was launched in September 2023 (here), pledged to send 5,000 Get Boxes to schools, charities, and other community initiatives by April 2025, and to then distribute those to households and other groups that need them the most.

So far more than 1,000 of these have now been distributed by various local authorities, including Coventry City Council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, as well as charities such as digital inclusion charity, AbilityNet, and Roundhouse etc.

Nicola Green, VMO2’s Chief Comms and Corporate Affairs Officer, said:

“Virgin Media O2 is proud to be leading the way in helping those in need to get online.

Our partnership with Jangala is providing a lifeline to thousands of people who otherwise would be disconnected, giving them access to the online world so they can do everything from booking medical appointments to accessing digital skills training, or simply staying in touch with loved ones.

It builds on the measures Virgin Media O2 is taking to tackle data poverty. Whether it’s free O2 data from the National Databank, rehoming devices and data with people who need them via Community Calling, or offering reduced broadband and mobile plans for people receiving benefits, we’re committed to helping people in need stay connected.”

Organisations can apply for Get Boxes by visiting here. The announcement talks about these boxes as being able to deliver “free fast and reliable WiFi“, although you’d have to be in a location with both a strong mobile signal and good data capacity in order for the performance to be truly considered “fast“, particularly when sharing a single 4G link with multiple WiFi users. Sadly, there’s no 5G support.