LOCKDOWN LEADER: Vodafone
“Power to you” is Vodafone’s slogan, to which we can only say: all power to them too. The British telecoms giant is giving free unlimited data for six months to NHS workers, carers and other vulnerable Vodafone customers, whether they’re pay monthly or pay-as-you-go.
In addition, it is offering six months’ free broadband to the UK’s five million small businesses in an effort to help SMEs return to work after the Covid-19 crisis. The unlimited usage package, available during the next three months, is open to UK firms with fewer than 50 employees, including those in an existing Vodafone contract. Businesses will also be able to take six months free advantage of Microsoft 365 business, which includes Microsoft software such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. After the first six months, the price for the remaining 18 months of the contract (excluding VAT) for business broadband will be 19.17, and £9.40 for Microsoft 365 business standard.
“Small businesses have been hit particularly hard by this crisis,” said chief executive of Vodafone UK, Nick Jeffrey. “By reducing their costs and providing them with our brilliant technology and expertise, we hope to help them get back on their feet and return to growth. A little financial help now will go a long way in the future.”
Said Paul McGann, Managing Director of Leeds-based creative promotional marketing agency Cat Among the Pigeons, “With one less bill to think about for six months, this offer will be incredibly helpful to small businesses like us. As a recent start-up, we were just three months into the business plan when the Government advised social distancing and restricted all non-essential travel movement across the UK. With Vodafone’s fast and reliable broadband connectivity we have been able to maintain our levels of service and carry out business as usual even while working remotely.”
The digital life raft is another rescue package by British phone operators to keep frontline workers connected during the global pandemic. EE and O2 are also upping their data allowance for key staff and enabling free web access to medical and governmental sites.