Virgin Media O2 is connecting Coventry residents this Christmas and beyond after donating 1,000 refurbished smartphones and O2 mobile data to Coventry City Council’s #CovConnects programme.
The company has donated the devices and data as part of its ongoing partnership with Coventry City Council to tackle electronic waste (e-waste) and to help people experiencing financial hardship to get online. This includes those living with long-term health conditions, fleeing domestic violence, or in temporary accommodation.
The devices and mobile data have been provided via Virgin Media O2’s Community Calling programme with environmental charity, Hubbub, which rehomes working smartphones with people who need them.
The devices and data will be distributed via the council’s Device Bank, which is like a food bank but for free tech and data, in the run-up to Christmas and throughout 2026. They will help people access essential services, take part in training or job interviews, and stay in touch with loved ones.
The phones have been sourced from Virgin Media O2’s supply chain, bringing to life how tech can be put back into circulation and reused by someone else – helping to prevent e-waste and support digital inclusion across the city.
This initiative forms part of Virgin Media O2’s sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan and its goals to connect one million digitally excluded people through free and affordable connectivity and services, and to encourage consumers to carry out 10 million circular actions, both by the end of 2025.
Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
“We know how important it is to stay connected and that’s why Virgin Media O2 is proud to donate 1,000 refurbished smartphones and free O2 mobile data to #CovConnects to help Coventry residents stay connected this Christmas and beyond.
“This is part of our wider work with Coventry City Council to put second-life devices in the hands of people who need them most, while tackling digital exclusion and reducing e-waste, to help communities across Coventry thrive.”
Councillor Richard Brown, Coventry City Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategic Resources, added: “This donation will be a lifeline for many Coventry residents who can’t afford to get online. Today, digital access is essential for everything from job searches to healthcare appointments. Our #CovConnects programme ensures people aren’t excluded from vital services simply because they lack a device or data.
“We’re proud to partner with Virgin Media O2 on this innovative approach that tackles both digital exclusion and electronic waste. It’s a win-win – giving devices a second life while helping our residents stay connected to the services and people that matter most.”
Groundbreaking project
Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council are working together to scale up the council’s pioneering #CovConnects digital inclusion programme and its device bank, which rehomes end-of-first-life devices from businesses and public sector organisations, redistributing them to people who need them across communities in Coventry.
The project aims to increase the number of Coventry businesses and organisations that donate their unused tech to #CovConnects to prevent devices, such as phones, tablets, and laptops, from ending up as e-waste. Instead, the tech is given a second life with people who are unable to afford a device.
Through the ambitious partnership, Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council aim to create a model of circularity where unwanted tech, such as laptops and smartphones, can be used again and again within the city, reducing the overall need for new devices. This has the potential to reduce e-waste collection costs, and lower the environmental impact of many devices in the city whilst supporting more Coventry residents to get online.
As part of the project, the partners will encourage more local businesses and public sector organisations to donate unused devices, while working together to remove barriers that prevent tech from being reused. The focus is on getting these devices into the hands of Coventry residents, alongside partnerships with community groups to build a hyperlocal culture of reuse across the city.
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