Mobile network operator Vodafone has today announced that they will donate “up to” 75,000 free mobile data (broadband) and calling SIMs, as part of this year’s Wimbledon Championships (tennis), to help both digitally excluded people and sports clubs to cross the digital divide.
The reason why the figure is being expressed as “up to” is because the number of mobile SIMs that Vodafone chooses to donate will, for some reason of marketing, be based on the fastest serves recorded by IBM during Wimbledon. This will be done by multiplying the final MPH (Miles Per Hour) number by 14 – the number of days the event runs.
Based on the fastest serves recorded by IBM during last year’s Wimbledon, this could mean 71,148 donations provided to people, businesses, and communities without access to digital connectivity. On the other hand, they could have just skipped the gimmicks and handed out 75,000 SIMs. But perhaps that was just a bit too easy for Vodafone’s marketing department.
The initiative comes as research by Vodafone claims that 43% of Brits admit they’d find it difficult to identify opportunities to get involved in sports without digital connectivity, while 33% would struggle to do so for their children. Furthermore, 31% say they use digital connectivity to find out information about local sports clubs, book themselves into classes or sessions (27%) and to get hold of required kit and equipment (18%).
Over a quarter (26%) rely on the internet to connect with other people, such as other parents, who are involved in local sports clubs, while 12% use it to book their children into sports classes. In fact, 63% of new sports club sign-ups – for adults and parents doing so for their children – are all done online.
Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at Vodafone UK, said:
“As the Official Connectivity Partner to The Championships, we recognise that the digital divide extends to the world of sport. Many individuals, communities and businesses lack the necessary connectivity to fully participate in and enjoy sports activities. This divide poses a barrier to accessing training resources, engaging with sports communities, and even promoting local clubs effectively.
Our everyone.connected initiative is designed to help address these challenges. By providing essential digital resources and support, we aim to empower sports enthusiasts and the organisers of grassroots clubs and businesses – who are often volunteers – to ensure that more people in sport can benefit from the opportunities that connectivity brings.”
The Connect Better challenge is part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected programme, which ultimately aims to help 4 million people and businesses to cross the digital divide by the end of 2025 (they’ve already distributed over 2.2m SIMs). The SIMs they supply typically come with 40GB of mobile broadband data every month, as well as unlimited texts and calls. But the free period only lasts for 6 months.