The UK Gigabit Voucher has now launched

09 April 2021

About the programme

Announced on 19 March as part of the wider £5bn ‘Project Gigabit’ programme, the UK Gigabit Broadband Voucher will provide micro grants of up to £1,500 for households and up to £3,500 for businesses in the hardest to reach rural areas (with current speeds of less than 100Mbps) to support the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections when part of a group scheme.

Since they were first introduced in 2018, Vouchers have been a key tool in incentivising and encouraging suppliers to connect some of the hardest to reach premises in the UK. To date, the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme has committed over £137m to support gigabit connectivity to more than 72,000 households and small to medium sized businesses.

The UK Gigabit Voucher will build on the success of the Rural Gigabit Voucher Scheme, enabling those in the hardest to reach parts of the UK to benefit from lightning-fast next generation broadband. It will hone in on supporting people in those areas least likely to be included in the commercial plans of broadband suppliers without the incentive of public subsidy, nudging the UK closer to nationwide gigabit connectivity.

Who is Eligible?

• The voucher is a benefit to eligible homes and small to medium-sized businesses in group schemes, where a group is two premises or more (no single connections are possible).
• Your postcode must be in an area defined as ‘rural’ by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for England and Wales
• Any premise that is capable of receiving a speed of greater than 100Mbps is not eligible (you must opt for a new service that at least doubles your existing speed) *i.e. At least 100Mbps if your current speed is more than 50Mbps.
• You must ensure a gigabit capable network isn’t likely to be built to that area commercially in the near future AND there is no government-funded contract planned or in place to improve the network already.

Businesses

• Must be a SME and employ fewer than 250 people,
• Have an annual turnover not exceeding £36 million, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding £18 million,
• Will also have to self-certify that the organisation will have received less than 325,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) in public grants over any period of three fiscal years including the current year, including the voucher contribution.

*The Special Drawing Rights amount has replaced the €200,000 de minimis grant limit following the UK’s exit from the European Union on the 31st December 2020. The SDR to GBP exchange rate can be found here.

You can check whether your home or business is eligible on the Get a voucher page.

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is supplier-led. This means suppliers will be requesting the voucher on behalf of their customers. The value of the voucher will contribute to the build cost of installing a gigabit-capable connection at the customer’s premises.

Please enter your postcode on the home page to find out which suppliers can provide a full fibre service in your area.

Further questions

Any business or resident in York who want advice on improving connectivity should contact the council’s Digital York team. If you have any questions about the UK Gigabit Voucher, please direct them to [email protected] where a member of the team will be able to provide you with assistance.