Super Connected City broadband grants - boost connection speeds

Super Connected City broadband vouchers – boost connection speeds

The Super Connected Cities programme is the scheme that offers a voucher of up to £3,000 that has launched in ten cities: Belfast, Salford, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Derby, Bristol, Edinburgh, Newport, London and Manchester.

The scheme is aimed at the SME sector, subsidising the cost of installing faster broadband connections for business. The scheme has £100m to spend in total, divided across 22 cities with the second wave of 12 smaller cities launching in early 2014.

“Britain is undergoing a broadband transformation and businesses up and down the country will benefit from the millions of pounds we’ve set aside. We want Britain’s digital infrastructure to be the best in the world and having faster and more reliable broadband will be key in driving growth.”

“I strongly urge businesses to make the most of this offer which will save them thousands of pounds, help generate thousands more, and ensure they are properly equipped to compete in today’s digital age.”

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Maria Miller

The www.connectionvouchers.co.uk website has links to the schemes and details of who is eligible. The voucher covers the cost of getting you connected, and does not cover the on going monthly line rental.  The scheme offers a real chance to boost connection speeds without moving office.

Connection Vouchers are available to you if

• You are a SME (Small or Medium Enterprise), Charity or Social Enterprise


• You are located in an eligible area in one of the cities taking part in the scheme


• Your connection will cost over £250


• You are asking for a connection to your business premises.  If your main work base is at home you can have a connection there, but not if you just work from home occasionally


• You are willing to sign up for a minimum 6 month contract with your supplier


• You select a service that is capable of delivering 30Mbps or higher – there are some detailed requirements on speed that you should check before applying


• You have not received more than approx £120k in grants in the last three years

 

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The infographic data was collated by Misco, a trading name of Misco UK Ltd. Misco/Epiphany Solutions accept no liability for any inaccuracies or incompleteness of any information contained on this page.

Super Connected City broadband grants - boost connection speeds

Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire Superfast Broadband - New Coverage Maps

Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire Superfast Broadband – New Coverage Maps

We are pleased to share with you the latest coverage maps for the rollout of fibre broadband through the Connected Counties programme in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.  These new maps reflect recent remodelling work by BT and shows the best estimate of where the Connected Counties programme plan to rollout fibre broadband, alongside services which are already commercially available.  These plans are, however, subject to the completion of detailed ground assessments which will survey local conditions and will be carried out in phases throughout the programme.

The maps show a preliminary estimate of the likely broadband coverage resulting from the Connected Counties programme’s investment.  The maps are indicative and should not be relied on or otherwise treated as a guarantee of current or future provision.

See more at: Connected Counties

The Connected Counties programme with BT has triggered a £18m investment to bring superfast broadband to more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses across Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

In June the Government announced a further £250m locally match funded investment in broadband for the UK, with the aim of achieving national coverage of 95 per cent or higher. The way this funding is being allocated isn’t yet known, but it should help the Connected Counties programme stretch out coverage plans. This means it is still important for communities to register on the Connected Counties programme website to tell them they are interested in getting superfast broadband.  These levels of interest can be factored into their decisions on which areas are rolled out to and strengthen their business case when biding for further funding.

Register Your Interest in getting superfast broadband – http://www.connectedcounties.org/register/

 

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Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire Superfast Broadband - New Coverage Maps