Virgin Media O2 launches Europe’s first Starlink direct-to-smartphone service

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://spacenews.com/virgin-media-o2-launches-europes-first-starlink-direct-to-smartphone-service/

Virgin Media O2 donates hundreds of smartphones and free data to Swansea’s Cwtch Mawr Multibank

Hundreds of people in Swansea facing financial hardship will be able to stay connected this winter thanks to a donation of smartphones and free O2 mobile data from Virgin Media O2.

The devices have been handed to Cwtch Mawr Multibank, the city’s one‑stop shop for essential non‑food items, which is run by Faith in Families. The scheme, set up by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, already provides clothing, furniture and toys — and now connectivity has been added to the list.

Targeted support for those most in need

Community leaders across Swansea are working with health professionals and schools to identify who needs the phones and data most. Recipients include people who have been made redundant, young people leaving care, refugees, and survivors of domestic abuse.

With a working phone and data, people can book medical appointments, apply for jobs, access training, manage housing applications, and stay in touch with loved ones.

Jakob, who received a smartphone through the scheme, said:

“When I was in temporary housing, I didn’t have a phone or internet, which made things really tough. Now I can use GPS to find my way around, learn more about the area, and I feel a lot safer knowing I can reach out for help if I need it.”

Backed by leaders

Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2, said the company was proud to support Swansea’s Multibank:

“We know how important it is to have access to the internet. This partnership is helping to put phones and mobile data into the hands of people who really need it.”

Jonathan Waite, Facility and Development Manager at Faith in Families, added:

“Without a phone or data, people are effectively cut off from the support around them. For survivors of domestic abuse and those in temporary accommodation, having a safe, reliable phone can mean control, safety and independence at the moment they need it most.”

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt MS, welcomed the initiative, calling it “much needed digital solidarity.”

And former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who is President of The Multibank, said:

“Having access to the internet is now as essential as electricity, water and gas. Virgin Media O2’s partnership will boost digital wellbeing and social inclusion, bringing hope to where it’s needed most.”

Tackling digital exclusion

The donation is part of Virgin Media O2’s pledge to hand over up to 12,000 devices in 2025 through its Community Calling programme with charity Hubbub. Phones are sourced from the company’s supply chain, tackling electronic waste while helping those who can’t afford devices or data.

It builds on wider efforts to tackle digital exclusion, including the National Databank, which provides free O2 data, and social tariffs for broadband and mobile customers on benefits.

Related stories: Cwtch Mawr Multibank

New and expanded Cwtch Mawr Multibank opens in Swansea
Faith in Families officially opens its larger warehouse in Swansea Vale, boosting support for families in crisis.

Swansea Multibank campaigns to combat child hygiene poverty
Drive launched to ensure children return to school with dignity and confidence.

Local Multibank helping 120,000 people a year gets £30K boost
Funding injection supports expansion of essential non-food donations across South West Wales.

New charity initiative already supporting thousands
Families, care leavers and those hit by the cost of living crisis benefit from Swansea’s Multibank.

Swansea project provides over 62,000 essential items
Cwtch Mawr delivers clothing, furniture and essentials to struggling households across the city.

#CwtchMawr #digitalExclusion #FaithInFamilies #GordonBrown #JaneHuttMS #MobilePhone #Multibank #Swansea #VirginMediaO2

University connects its Swansea campuses with new ‘dark fibre’ network

The new data link is part of Swansea Bay City Deal’s Digital Infrastructure Programme who have worked with Virgin Media O2 Business to build a dark fibre network loop across the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s sites in Swansea.

Dark fibre network offers practically limitless capacity and speeds, with the innovative loop configuration ensuring a continuous data flow between educational sites.

The university says this will benefit research, teaching, and collaboration across the academic landscape. The network, which is only accessible to linked sites, will also provide secure, high-speed, and scalable connectivity, improving the efficiency of internal systems, whilst providing increased capacity to increase to suit the demands of the sector. 

The network will immediately increase bandwidth to 40Gbps, with the potential for 100Gbps between campuses in the future. This means all Swansea campuses are now connected at exceptionally high speeds that are usually only available at a single campus location, with future proofing for even higher speeds.

The university says this will enable high-flex teaching, ultra-high-quality video streaming, and immersive learning environments, while also supporting future research, as well as smart campus solutions to enhance efficiency and sustainability.

James Cale at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David said: “This is an exciting phase where we will now start to tangibly see the benefits of a dark fibre network across campuses.  The ability to fully exploit technology within a class or research environment offers both academics and students a far wider range of opportunities, whist making our sites more data secure, something that is widely needed to future proof further education in this region.” 

Cllr. Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal Joint Committee said: “This is a fantastic milestone in the region’s plan to adopt emerging technology into our public sector services. Creating more robust ways of collaborating, data sharing and ways of researching is a fundamental aspect of how we build best practices across our education and healthcare sites, that will only open up more innovation opportunities in the future.”

On completion, the dedicated dark fibre network will connect 36 public sector sites throughout Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, including local authorities, healthcare and education partners.

#darkFibre #SA1 #Swansea #UniversityOfWalesTrinitySaintDavid #UWTSD #VirginMediaO2

Swansea gets mobile phone signal boost to tackle network congestion

Helping to tackle network congestion, the small cell sites have been introduced to boost the network capacity when needed so that people will be able to use their phones to make calls, send messages or go online when the city centre has more people visiting for events such as the Christmas parade and the Wales Airshow.

Delivered by Swansea Council in partnership with Freshwave and Virgin Media O2, the council say the project is part of a broader effort to position Swansea as a leading digital city.

It’s been led by the council’s digital champions, who have worked closely with Freshwave, Virgin Media O2 and other council departments to ensure there was minimal disruption for businesses and city centre visitors while the works have been carried out.

The project is part of the Swansea Bay City Deal’s digital infrastructure programme that’s aimed at boosting digital connectivity throughout South West Wales.

Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader and Chair of the Swansea Bay City Deal’s Joint Committee, said: “We’ve all experienced times when we’re in busy places but can’t seem to send messages, make calls or use the internet from our phones because the network is too congested.

“This project is aimed at helping tackle that issue to meet the needs of residents and businesses.

“It also contributes to our ongoing commitment to make Swansea a digitally advanced city that will help attract more investment and jobs in future, while supporting innovation.

“We’re grateful to our partners Freshwave and Virgin Media O2 and for the support from the Swansea Bay City Deal’s digital infrastructure programme.”

Neil Barnes, Head of Partnerships at Freshwave, said: “We’re delighted to have played a role in this transformative project.

“The enhanced mobile connectivity resulting from Virgin Media O2’s investment will bring numerous benefits to the community and pave the way for future technological advancements.”

Pete Hollebon, Senior Planning Manager – Outdoor Small Cells, Virgin Media O2 – said: “Small cells are an effective way of increasing local network bandwidth and play an important role in allowing us to keep up with rising customer demand. These new sites will improve the reliability of our network in Swansea and provide a better experience for customers.

“Our Mobile Transformation Plan will see us invest £700m into our mobile network this year to ensure our customers consistently receive an exceptional network experience wherever they are and even at the busiest times.”

The project followed an open access agreement being signed, allowing mobile network operators to access and share council-owned assets for their digital infrastructure.

This is the first agreement of its kind in Swansea and the wider Swansea Bay City Region as a whole.

(Lead image: Pexels)

#CllrRobStewart #Freshwave #MobilePhone #smallCell #Swansea #SwanseaBayCityDeal #SwanseaCouncil #VirginMediaO2

2,000 jobs to go at Virgin Media O2

Joins rivals BT and Vodafone in cutting jobs

https://www.computing.co.uk/news/4120845/jobs-virgin-media-o2

#technews #virginmediao2 #layoffs #ukraine