Member Article

Could Your Business Be Next to Receive 1,000 Mbps Internet Speeds Paid For By The Government?

Earlier this year The Government promised £200m for SME’s to invest in their network infrastructure. And now, as of October, this scheme is available to a number of businesses.

The idea is simple. By giving SME’s a grant for gigabit capable connectivity, the UK will stay as the world digital leader, boosting productivity and as a direct result GDP.

This new initiative will make your business and the surrounding areas gigabit capable. Providing up to 1,000 Mbps and ensuring the area is 5g ready for the future.

In part, this process will fund local projects intended to create a way to accelerate the delivery of the UK’s full fibre optic connectivity.

The new fibre optic cables will run straight to the front of homes and businesses but it does not mean you have to subscribe to the full 1,000 Mbps speeds.

The Key to Improving Your Productivity & Flexibility

As we all know, we depend on the internet to do just about everything. From cloud access, to online transactions, to answering emails from customers.

The most common bottleneck our partners face is the speed and reliability of their internet supplier.

This ‘bottleneck’ is thought to be the primary motivator behind this scheme with the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones MP saying:

“How we live and work today is directly affected by how good our broadband connection is. Reliable connections enable new industries to flourish, help create jobs and give people flexibility in how and where they work.”

“For our economy to thrive, it is vital we make smart investments to ensure our digital infrastructure is world class and fit for the future.”

“Full fibre connections are the gold standard and we are proud to announce today the next step to get Britain better connected.”

This new investment will make it easier for your staff to work remotely, ensure internet access is more secure, and importantly provide reliable internet without interruption.

And, not only will you be investing in your workplace, but the local community will benefit too. Schools, hospitals, and some homes will have access to the new fibre optics installed.

You may wonder if such a scheme will benefit your workplace and what could be expected? - well, consider this…

For a start, you may enjoy the idea you will receive subsidised capital costs to achieve a stronger internet connection provided by the government.

This is great if you’ve played with the idea of upgrading your infrastructure but have had no real reason, other than efficiency, to do so.

Hospitals would have the necessary infrastructure to have access to full HD quality graphics of medical scans within mere seconds.

Businesses will be able to upload larger files quicker and easier online, which improves the usability of cloud computing. Data will be more secure over longer distances, helping to protect against the growing threat of cyber theft.

Schools will have the opportunity to stream more educational videos at the same time without buffering.

Following the Government’s previous Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme, an independent study by Regeneris Economics Research & Analysis found within its first year 3,000 Manchester businesses opted to use the funding available.

They reported a “substantial” improvement in speed and reliability of their internet connection. And the study showed a direct correlation between businesses with lower speeds and lower reliability as a barrier to sustainable economic growth.

The Department of Culture, Media & Sports also found:

• On average internet speeds where 18 x faster
• The ROI for every £1 spent was a £8 return
• 1 in 4 businesses hired an extra member of staff as a result of the scheme
• On average businesses where £1,300 more profitable as a result of greater productivity
• Businesses who pooled their vouchers together were able to get ultrafast connections

So what do you need to do to gain access to this new scheme?

Initially, you need to be placed in one of the six trial areas (the offer is expected to be made available to the rest of the country in 2018 and 2019, set out in 3 stages).

These areas include:

• Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire
• Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset
• Coventry & Warwickshire
• Leeds & West Yorkshire
• West Sussex
• Greater Manchester

Currently £10m out of the £200m pot is available for testing in these trial areas, with the rest expected to be made available over the course of the next 3 years.

The voucher itself awards you with up to £3,000 + VAT towards your network infrastructure, which you can claim back from your local government.

If you’d like to find out the necessary steps to applying for this scheme and would like to be one of the early adopters and avoid application delays, then find out more by visiting our website and register your interest today.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lee .