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Virgin Media O2 commits £3 million to boost local tech reuse schemes across UK

Prime Highlights-

  • Virgin Media O2 launches a £3 million fund to scale local device reuse networks across the UK.
  • Around 460 million devices sit unused nationwide while 1.5 million people lack access to one.

Key Facts-

  • Nearly 267 million unused devices remain suitable for reuse or repair, the study estimates.
  • The fund’s first £500,000 round is open now, with further rounds running through to 2030.

Background-

Virgin Media O2 has launched a £3 million Tech Rehome Network Fund to help councils and community groups recover, refurbish and redistribute unused devices to people who need them.

The move follows new research showing that while 1.5 million people across the UK lack access to a smartphone, tablet or laptop, around 460 million devices sit unused in homes and businesses.

Nearly six in ten of those unused devices, roughly 267 million phones, tablets and laptops, remain fit for reuse or repair. The study found that 90% of people would donate an unwanted device if they knew it would help someone in need, but most don’t know where to take it. Six in ten said they were unaware of a local organisation collecting old tech.

Households now hold an average of seven unused devices each, while businesses hold 45. More than half of people say their oldest unused device has sat untouched for at least five years.

The fund’s first £500,000 round opens now, with further rounds running to 2030. Councils, charities and community groups in England, Scotland and Wales can apply to build or expand local device reuse networks.

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said the technology needed to tackle digital exclusion already exists in people’s homes, and the fund will help connect it with those who need it.

Actress Joanna Page is backing the campaign, while Digital Inclusion Minister Vicky Foxcroft welcomed the initiative as a practical step toward closing the digital divide.