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SMEs across the UK can claim up to £3,000 towards the cost of switching to full fibre broadband
A nationwide Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme has been launched by the UK government to help small and medium sized businesses pay for the cost of connecting to gigabit ready, Fibre to the Home (FTTH) services.
From today, small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) can claim a voucher worth up to £3,000 from the UK government to help meet the start-up costs of connecting.
The scheme is also available to residential properties, with each homeowner being able to claim a £500 voucher.
The scheme is being paid for out of a £67 million pot, set aside by Mrs May’s government as part of an initiative to fast-track the transformation of Britain’s broadband infrastructure.
Prior to rolling the scheme out on a nationwide basis, the UK government has trialled the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme with internet Service Provider TrueSpeed. Truespeedhas run both a business and residential trial of the the Scheme in the South West of England.
The company says that it intends to use the Government’s additional investment as a catalyst for delivering future-proofed full fibre, high-speed connectivity to upgrade broadband infrastructure.
“What we achieved during the pilot sets a blueprint for the rest of the country as the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is rolled out nationwide. The £67 million investment announced today is a very welcome move, and a catalyst that will enable hundreds of millions of pounds of private money to be invested across the country. It provides a cost-effective way for the government to support privately funded full fibre infrastructure providers in their efforts to connect the digitally left behind. This is a vital building block in the creation of a nationwide digital economy that will help the country to thrive,” said TrueSpeed CEO, Evan Wienburg.
Don’t forget to check out the agenda for this year’s Connected Britain event, where a range of industry experts will be analysing strategies for transforming Britain’s broadband infrastructure.
