UK mobile network, Three UK, is working with UK digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, to double its data donation to the charity’s National Data Bank, to 2m gigabytes, with SIM cards to be distributed over the next two years. The National Databank keeps people connected by providing free pre-paid SIM cards for those who are unable to afford or access them. 

The network has also released the findings of study it commissioned into data usage. OnePoll carried out the survey between 2 and 7 August, among 1,000 respondents with children aged 0-6 and a further nationally representative group of 2,000 UK adults. It found that the average parent uses 6.9 terabytes of data in their lifetime to raise a child. On a monthly basis, parents (39 per cent) are twice as likely to go over their data allowance compared to non-parents (19 per cent).

On average, parents download or stream 12 hours per week of content for themselves or their child. 67 per cent of parents said they used their phone most to capture memories of their child, and taking an average of 23 photos of their son or daughter each week. This is followed by WhatsApp (62 per cent), with the average parents sending 11 messages to friends and family each week,

Aislinn O’Connor, Director of Marketing at Three UK said, “At Three, we know the important role connectivity plays in our customers’ lives…Through our pledge of 2million gigabytes of data to Good Things Foundation, we’ll ensure people across the country get online and in doing so, that thousands of parents are able to use connectivity as a helping hand in their new family.”