Three is doubling to two million the number of gigabytes of data it gives to the Good Things Foundation’s National Databank for onward distribution to people in financial straits to stay connected.
The National Databank was created in 2021 by Virgin Media O2 to help more than 200,000 people get connected by the end of this year It was set up as a collaborative, community-led platform to provide free mobile data to those who can’t afford it.
The National Databank is open to all mobile operators to provide free data for community groups to distribute to those who need it. The Good Things Foundation runs the scheme and aims to ensure that everyone can use their phone freely whenever they need it.
Three’s one million gigabytes increase follows research that a third of the UK is in poverty, with 85 per cent of low-income households struggling to afford mobile connectivity
Three research indicates the average parent uses 6.9 terabytes of data in their lifetime to raise a child and that 39 per cent of parents are twice as likely to go over their data allowance as they find themselves on their phones more often with the devices becoming critically important in their lives after having a child.
Nearly 430 of 1,0000 polled parents said they had ‘no idea’ how people raised children before smartphones. A further 61 per cent revealed their device is the most helpful tool when it comes to raising their children.