New research from Virgin Media O2 reveals that while 1.5 million people across the UK remain digitally excluded, around 460 million devices are sitting unused.
With 90% of Brits willing to donate an unwanted device to someone in their local community, the findings suggest the UK isn’t short of unused devices or community goodwill – it’s missing the local mechanisms to connect the two.
In response, Virgin Media O2 is launching a £3 million Tech Rehome Network Fund to help councils and community organisations scale local networks to recover, refurbish and redistribute unwanted devices to people who need them.
Around 460 million* unused digital devices are sitting in UK homes and businesses, while 1.5 million people across the UK do not have access to a smartphone, tablet or laptop, according to a new study commissioned by Virgin Media O2. It is estimated that, of the unused devices, almost six in ten – equivalent to around 267 million** phones, tablets and laptops – are still suitable for reuse or repair.
The findings suggest the UK already has the technology needed to help people who can’t afford digital devices to get online. Yet, while consumers and businesses overwhelmingly say they would donate unwanted devices, many aren’t aware of local schemes or infrastructure where they can do so.
In response, Virgin Media O2 is launching a £3 million Tech Rehome Network Fund to 2030 for projects that help improve digital inclusion and reduce electronic waste within cities. The first £500,000 funding round opens today, with further rounds to follow.
Councils, charities and community organisations can apply with initiatives to create local networks that recover, refurbish and redistribute unwanted devices to people who need them – while addressing growing e-waste levels in the UK.
Britain’s tech drawer of doom is growing
The number of unused digital devices in UK homes continues to grow. Nearly six in ten (58%) people say they have more unused devices than they did three years ago, while almost one in five (18%) say the number has increased by more than half.
Households now have an average of seven unused digital devices, while businesses hold an average of 45 each. More than half (55%) of people say the oldest unused device in their home has been sitting there for at least five years.
Businesses tell a similar story. Almost half (47%) say they keep unused devices in case another employee needs them. Yet when staff need equipment, more organisations buy a new device (42%) than reassign an existing one (34%), resulting in unused tech being consigned to storage.
The study suggests that the challenge isn’t a lack of willingness to donate, but a lack of awareness of how and where to do this.
Communities are ready to help
Digital exclusion – when people lack the access, skills or confidence they need to use digital technology and get online – remains widely misunderstood, despite affecting millions of people across the UK. Nearly six in ten (58%) people say they aren’t familiar with the term, including almost a third (31%) who have never heard it before. Perhaps that’s why more than half (58%) had never considered that an unused device could help someone experiencing digital exclusion.
Once people understood the role their unwanted devices could play in tackling digital exclusion, however, the response was overwhelming. Nine in ten (90%) people say they would donate an unwanted device if they knew it would help someone in need, while 82% of businesses say the same. Almost three quarters of consumers (73%) and businesses (74%) say they’re even more likely to donate if they know devices will stay within their local community.
Virgin Media O2’s £3 million Tech Rehome Network Fund
With six in ten (61%) people unaware of a local organisation where they can donate unwanted technology, and more than two-thirds (68%) wanting to see more local schemes, Virgin Media O2 is stepping in to support solutions that rehome unwanted tech with people who need it, keeping devices in use for longer.
The Tech Rehome Network Fund aims to strengthen city-level device reuse programmes, improve digital inclusion outcomes for residents, and generate practical learning to support device reuse at scale.
Virgin Media O2 is inviting applications from councils, charities and community organisations based in England, Scotland and Wales, in particular in cities where promising device reuse schemes exist, but where funding is needed to catalyse the network to develop long-term sustainability.
The first £500,000 from the Tech Rehome Network Fund will fund a small number of initiatives that strengthen and scale local networks to recover, refurbish and redistribute unwanted devices to people who need them. This will help digitally excluded people get online and make the most of being connected, while tackling e-waste within cities.
Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “Digital exclusion affects millions of people across the UK, yet our study shows the technology that could help tackle it is already sitting in homes and businesses across the country.
“Through the Tech Rehome Network Fund, we’re investing in trusted local organisations to build the networks cities need to keep devices in use for longer. By making it easier for households and businesses across cities to pass on unwanted technology, we can give devices a second life while helping more people get online.”
Virgin Media O2 has teamed up with actress and podcaster Joanna Page to champion the Tech Rehome Network Fund and raise awareness of the difference unused tech could make in communities across the UK.
As part of the campaign, Joanna is encouraging people to rethink what they do with unwanted devices and give them a second life with someone who needs them.
Joanna said: “I’ve always loved giving things a second life, so I was surprised to learn how much unused tech is sitting in our homes! Like lots of people, I’d never thought about how much difference those unused devices could make to someone else.
“That’s why I think the Tech Rehome Network Fund is such a brilliant idea. It’s making it much easier for people to pass on technology they no longer need through local organisations, so more devices can reach the people who’ll benefit from them. Hopefully it’ll inspire businesses and people to check their drawers and give unused tech a second life.”
Minister for Digital Inclusion, Vicky Foxcroft said: “The costs of purchasing a phone, tablet or computer can be a major barrier to people getting themselves online – the reality is that there are countless unused devices sitting in homes around the country.
“Through schemes like our IT Reuse for Good Charter, Government is setting the direction on getting unused devices in the hands of people who need them most – but we can’t do it alone. Closing the digital divide requires government, businesses, civil society and communities working together, and I’m pleased to see Virgin Media O2 pioneering practical solutions that will make a real difference to people’s lives.”
Creating a culture of device reuse
The Tech Rehome Network Fund forms part of Virgin Media O2’s ESG strategy, the Responsible Business Plan, and its goal to champion a device reuse culture in 30 cities by 2030.
It builds on the learnings and success of Virgin Media O2 and Coventry City Council’s partnership to scale the #CovConnects digital inclusion programme and device bank. The scheme rehomes end-of-first-life devices from businesses and public sector organisations and redistributes them to people who need them across communities in Coventry.
The application process opens on Tuesday 8 September and closes on Friday 30 October. For more information, visit: https://news.virginmediao2.co.uk/TechRehomeNetwork.
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