Optus Donate your Data bridges education divide

Although much of the economy and education now relies on being online, sadly many Australian students are being left behind, simply because they don’t have regular access to the internet.

According to the Australian Digital Inclusion Index many Australians continue to experience affordability stress that negatively impacts digital inclusion.

Optus, working with partners like The Smith Family is helping people experiencing disadvantage access the internet through the Donate your Data^TM program.

According to Helen Maisano, digital inclusion is a key focus for Optus and we are very proud to be able to help vulnerable Australian students experiencing disadvantage to get access to the internet to help them with their education.

“With so much of the curriculum of schools delivered online these days, being online is no longer a choice but a necessity. Sadly, many Australian students are not able to access the internet for a variety of reasons. 

“This exacerbates a widening gap between students who have access to data and those that don't.

“Donate your Data has helped over 45,225 people since launching in 2019 and we are looking forward to helping many more young people like Shiva,” Helen says.  

Shiva’s story

For 17-year-old Shiva, seeing other students with the school essentials he couldn’t access felt unfair – but the experience taught him to cherish his education. Now, with support from The Smith Family and Optus Donate Your Data^TM, he can reliably pursue his schooling at home and on the go. 

“When the WiFi or power went out at home near assessment or exam times, I couldn’t do anything to study and felt nervous,” says Shiva.

Through his Smith Family scholarship, Shiva is eligible for the Donate Your Data^TM initiative, which provides free data, texts and calls to help power his secondary studies.

“Donate Your Data is a great help for me as it runs much faster than our home WiFi, and there’s enough of it to last the entire month. It makes uploading my work easier, too. It gives me a lot of help with finding information when I am not near home or out for group studies.

“Having good access to the internet at home is extremely important. At home, studying or researching is much easier and faster, and it helps give you extra time for completing assessments. 

“With a good education, anyone can change their lives for the better. It’s like a gateway to success and growth and an amazing opportunity that everyone should be able to receive.

“Without help from Optus, school would be much harder as I would have less time to complete my tasks. I thank Optus’s customers for donating their data to me and students across Australia; it’s extremely useful,” says Shiva.

Find out how Donate your Data^TM is helping other students like Iesha.

How to donate your data 

The initiative enables Optus customers with an eligible mobile plan to donate some of their data.

Donate a portion of your monthly data allowance if you're an eligible Optus customer with one of the options below.

On a plan

Customers can donate data via My Optus app, tap the banner and then use the slider at the bottom of the screen to donate any remaining data before the end of the month. If they want to donate again in the future, they can simply donate from their remaining data.