Don't delay claiming your £2,500 broadband voucher for business broadband

Important news about changes to the Gigabit Voucher Scheme

12 November 2018

Don't delay claiming your £2,500 broadband voucher for business broadband

• Monday, November 12, 2018 2:15 PM
• 0 comments

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was originally projected to run until March 2021 but the popularity of the up to £3,000 vouchers means that they've reduced the maximum value to £2,500 to try and help more firms benefit and if the current level of demand continues the scheme looks set to end in early 2020.

Our modern Industrial Strategy is clear on the importance of connectivity, as we build a full fibre Britain that is fit for the future. These vouchers provide practical and immediate help to firms struggling with slow broadband speeds.I encourage small businesses around the UK to apply now.

Minister for Digital Margot James

The vouchers while primarily aimed at businesses can be used in a group project with a central business and residents able to claim a £500 voucher towards install costs of full fibre (the ratio of business to residential needs to be at one or more business voucher for every 10 residential vouchers). In this mode it is more likely that standard full fibre services will be rolled out rather than a single business going it alone and using the voucher to underwrite all or a large chunk of getting a leased line installed. Leased lines while invariably full fibre based generally don't show on availability checkers and coverage statistics due to their dedicated nature and high monthly costs.

The longer term hope is that by increasing take-up of Gigabit services for business it will encourage broadband operators to roll-out more Gigabit capable services to a mixture of business and residential addresses across the UK and therefore be part of the large puzzle that is aiming to hit 50% full fibre coverage across the UK by 2025 and 100% for 2033. 

*Credited to ThinkBroadband.com - https://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/8231-don-t-delay-claiming-your-2-500-broadband-voucher-for-business-broadband