Enabling digital inclusion

The future is here, and it’s digital. But not everyone is getting the benefits that tech can offer. Around 12.1 million people1 in the UK lack basic digital skills.

To unlock the transformative power of technology, it needs to be available and accessible to everyone. But it’s skills and training that help people and businesses make the most of tech.

We are committed to supporting people and businesses across the UK – from children and families, older and underserved groups and small and medium businesses - to help boost their confidence and understanding of digital tools and technology. 

Building on our digital skills resources and partnerships, we've reached a total of 23.3 million people with digital skills support since FY15. 

12024 UK Consumer Digital Index

Supporting people and businesses to access the benefits of an increasingly digital world

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homes and businesses reached with full fibre including 4.9m in rural areas

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low-income and vulnerable customers supported through affordable fibre broadband and calls

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people reached with help to improve digital skills since FY15

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small business and their employees upskilled through our digital skills programmes since FY15

Investing in our networks

We’re working to develop the right digital infrastructure so no one gets left behind.

We build, own and run the UK’s largest fixed and best mobile networks. Our full fibre broadband already passes 18.1 million homes and businesses, including 4.9 million in rural locations. We're expanding our mobile network. Our strong spectrum holdings and access to base station infrastructure allow us to deliver 4G coverage to 99.7% of the population. Our 5G network reaches 85% of the population – with 5G standalone coverage of 43%. We’ve committed to reach 90% of UK population coverage by 2027 with 5G, a year ahead of projected coverage.

Championing digital inclusion

We want to be champions for digital inclusion. By tackling the digital divide and enabling everyone to be more confident and independent online we can create a digital society that works for all.

We’re the market leader in social tariffs, currently helping over 0.9m low-income and vulnerable customers through affordable fibre broadband and calls.

Our Home Essentials social tariff gives discounted broadband to customers on Universal Credit. Our EE Basics does similar for eligible mobile customers. Openreach’s ‘Connect the Unconnected’ scheme waives connection fees for vulnerable customers, via their communications provider.  

Our colleague fundraising and donations provided over £173,000 for our charity partner, Home-Start UK, to support families struggling with digital exclusion, isolation, physical health problems and many other issues.

Our Here for You website brings together BT’s wide range of products, services and support for those who need extra help in one easy-to-navigate place. It includes information about the Home Essentials social tariff, the latest accessibility options and priority services for customers with long-term illnesses or disabilities, and advice for dealing with scams. 

Digital safety for children and families

As a company serving families and those caring for children across the UK, we understand that children’s lives are increasingly playing out in the digital world. We’re committed to helping to promote safe and responsible tech use among young people and protect them online.

We do this in a range of ways including: 

  • Launching age-appropriate guidance on smartphone use for kids and teens and making it simpler to set parental controls.
  • PhoneSmart, our online learning platform, has guidelines for parents on online safety issues like AI and recognising deepfakes. We have issued nearly 4,000 PhoneSmart licenses to children who have completed all five modules.
  • We're a founding member of Internet Matters, who provide tailored resources to help children be safe and kind online. The resources are available to anyone, on any network. Find out more about Internet Matters.
  • We also work with schools to help educate children on online safety, delivering training sessions through ‘We Are Futures’ and the National Schools Partnership.

You can find out more about digital access and safety for children on our Responsible tech and child rights page

Older and underserved groups

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over 65s supported to build their skills, confidence and ability to stay safe online

We’re committed to helping older and underserved groups to access the benefits of a digital world.

Around 4.7m people aged 65+ don’t have the basic skills needed to use the internet successfully1. Since 2023 we’ve supported over 8,000 people to build their skills, confidence and ability to stay safe online through small group sessions and one-to-one learning. We’ve expanded our scope from older people to include disabled adults as well. 

Visit our senior skills page to find out more about our partnership with AbilityNet

1 Offline and Overlooked: Digital exclusion and its impact on older people (ageuk.org.uk)

Supporting small and medium-sized businesses

Our free digital skills programmes help empower small business owners and their employees by providing them with the necessary digital skills to thrive.  We’ve reached almost 1.5 million small businesses to date, with 265,000 reached in the last year alone.

We give them access to free expert-led webinars, online courses and mentoring which help them to thrive. Working with Digital Boost and Small Business Britain, we offer a variety of free virtual programs, including expert-led digital skills webinars, a six-week digital skills accelerator program, digital skills workshops, and 1:1 mentoring sessions. Additionally, we host in-person events such as NetWalks and digital skills workshops, providing business owners with opportunities to connect with other local businesses, share ideas and experiences, and build their support networks. 

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business and employees reached with digital skills support this year

Education and skills

We’re committed to equipping young people with the key digital skills needed to succeed in the modern workplace. Our Education and Skills hub showcases our Work Ready programme, inspiring STEM learning resources, insights into our innovative DigiTech Centre, and plenty of opportunities designed to prepare young people for a successful and impactful career. 

View our education programmes and videos

Partnering with charities

Charity partners

Across BT Group we support range of charity partners, including:

  • UK charity AbilityNet to deliver nationwide training to improve the digital skills of people aged 65+, visit our senior skills page to find out more
  • Home-Start UK who support families struggling with digital exclusion, isolation and physical health problems and a range of other issues.
  • Funding UNICEF’s ‘Digital Learning Passport’ tech platform, which enables online and offline access to quality educational resources for young people. We also support their Children’s Emergency Fund.
  • The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, where we provide financial contributions to the charity and volunteering opportunities for colleagues

India skills partnership

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young people reached in India with digital skills, STEM career guidance and job opportunities

Since 2019, BT Group (working with the British Asian Trust) has empowered more than 1.2m young people across India with digital and work readiness skills.

In addition, our programmes have reached 2.2m parents, teachers and community members - advancing digital inclusion, and addressing the gender gap in education to boost long-term employability. 

BT Group is proud to be associated with the Outdoor School for Girls