At Telenet, we invest in the creation of a digital society accessible to all. We want to be a committed member of the local community by providing financial and material support to charities and community initiatives, by structurally investing in digitization projects in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia, and by stimulating the active community engagement of our employees.
COVID-19 significantly magnified the digital divide in our society. Today, 1 in 10 Belgians have no internet at home. In low-income households it is even 1 in 3. More than ever, technology is the key to active participation in the digital society. That is why we want to continue to contribute to this societal challenge through concrete and structural digital inclusion initiatives and connectivity solutions.
Free internet via Telenet-WiFree
Since the beginning of the corona crisis, we have been distributing Wi-Fi vouchers to vulnerable families. If you did not have an Internet connection at home, you could connect to one of our 1.5 million public Wi-Fi points for free. This programme currently ran till 30 June 2021.
Telenet Essential Internet, basic internet for vulnerable families
This solution offers very vulnerable families and individuals a basic Internet service at a flat rate of EUR 5 per month. Via a small device that converts the mobile phone signal (4G) into a WiFi signal, families can surf the basic Internet at home. The speeds and volume are sufficient for basic activities such as homework, looking for work or looking up information online. From December 2020, the solution will be tested in close consultation with local social organisations. From spring 2021 onwards, the programme will be rolled out on a larger scale in Flanders and Brussels.
#AllAboard. That is our ambition.
Read more about it in our press release.
Keeping everyone connected is our absolute priority, that again became very clear during the corona crisis. We realized that more than ever our networks kept everyone in touch with family, colleagues, friends. We also wanted to be there for those with fewer opportunities in the digital world in this difficult period. We offered financial and material support to young people, the underprivileged, the elderly and people in the care sector. Below is an overview of the initiatives we supported in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. #SamenErdoor #FaireFaceEnsemble #ThroughItTogether
Telenet helped break the isolation of corona patients in hospitals, young people with mental health problems and the elderly in residential care centres with a free TV offering and smartphones.
SafeLink, a solution for the home monitoring of covid-19 patients by the GP, has been successfully launched. As a mobile operator, in addition to Orange Belgium, Proximus and RingRing, we offered technical and financial support to this project for sending text messages to patients.
Some schools and social organisations asked whether it would be possible to do something for pupils who do not have an internet connection at home. Telenet decided to hand out vouchers on request that could be used by underprivileged youngsters to connect to the Telenet Wi-Free signal.
Telenet also donated 75 laptops to Deelbaar Mechelen and the City of Mechelen. These parties collected additional laptops, all of which were distributed to vulnerable families. "Now that the lessons have been suspended, pupils are expected to practice at home. In order to prevent children from vulnerable families from falling even further behind in their learning, we are going to give them extra support".
At least 15,000 students did not have a computer during the lockdown. This threatened to lead to a considerable learning backlog. We at Telenet gave these children a boost by supporting Digital4Youth. John Porter gave the project an extra push by donating a number of laptops himself and by participating in the geefereenlaptop.be campaign.
Zorabots put all its 'James' robots at the disposal of the Belgian nursing homes free of charge. Telenet provided a 4G router solution for the robots, to help strengthen connectivity in the care homes.
In the context of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Ministers of Health and Digital Agenda and Privacy set up the "Data Against Corona Taskforce". The Task Force consists of spatial epidemiologists, data privacy experts and data science experts. Telenet, Proximus and Orange shared telecom data and helped analyse them.
Telecom operators joined forces in supporting the Covid19 Track & Trace Call Center to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in Belgium
In cooperation with the other Belgian telecom providers, Telenet also supports SMS donation campaigns. All collected funds are entirely transferred to the good cause, without applying any administrative charges.
Who can benefit and what are the conditions?
Learn more about the conditions and the principles that apply to SMS donation campaigns.
How to submit a request for a SMS donation campaign?
Requests should be submitted in time to all telecom providers. Complete the official request form and submit it to smsdonation@telenetgroup.be; smsdonation@orange.be, smsdonation@mobilevikings.be, smsdonation@voo.eu and smsdonation@proximus.com.
Charities and community initiatives can also opt for a commercial SMS donation campaign. In this case, part of the collected funds will be charged back to the telecom operators and the technical facilitators in order to cover the administrative costs.
In today’s knowledge economy, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), creativity and entrepreneurship are imperative. To thrive in the digital economy, children, youngsters and adults need to acquire these 21st century skills. We are therefore investing in lifelong learning initiatives that strengthen the STEM competencies and entrepreneurial skills for all, in particular children and youngsters out of underserved communities.
For Telenet, supporting social causes is more than a tradition: it is a fundamental part of our corporate culture. Every Telenet employee is given the opportunity two days a year to do paid voluntary work in one of the social projects for which Telenet provides structural support. Telenet employees also run, bike and play sport for good causes by participating in events like the 20km of Brussels, Antwerp 10 miles, or Kom op tegen Kanker.
