Get Online Week 2023

By Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer

Today marks the start of Get Online Week – an annual campaign led by our partner, digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, shining a light on the often-overlooked topic of digital inclusion.

Nowadays, in our tech-laden society, having access to a mobile phone, tablet or smart watch is something we take for granted and the thought of being apart from it for even a few hours is unheard of.  How would we read the latest news? Message our friends? Book an appointment? Or even pay for parking? The opportunities we would miss out on without a device are endless.

Sadly, for millions of people across the UK this is a stark reality, with 1.7 million people digitally excluded[i].  On top of this, there are people who are daunted by the vast array of tech available and challenged by how to use it.

We want to help people feel more confident when it comes to using technology, and have set a goal to improve the digital skills of six million people by the end of 2025.

That’s why during Get Online Week, and in partnership with Good Things Foundation, we’re hosting hundreds of free digital skills workshops at community organisations across the UK. You can find your nearest event here.

This all forms a big part of our wider sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan.  Some of the key initiatives we’re working on to tackle digital exclusion include:

• Our pioneering National Databank initiative which acts like a foodbank but for free mobile data, texts and calls. We’re donating more than 61 million GB of free O2 data to it
• Helping one million people across the UK get online and gain vital digital skills by the end of 2025
• Donating £2 million to Good Things Foundation to support disadvantaged people to access free connectivity, devices and digital skills training.

Nobody should feel like they’re being left behind because of their lack of tech or digital skills, and we’re proud to be playing our part in helping to close the digital divide – helping people to learn essential digital skills so they can get the most out of tech and the online world.

[i] 1.7 million people digitally excluded (link to Ofcom – Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes report 2022 (ofcom.org.uk)