Businesses in Preston will now be able to apply for grants of up to £3,000 each to install high-speed broadband the government has announced.
This boost to Preston’s broadband comes as part of the Government’s broadband connection voucher scheme with the Government committing £150 million for the SuperConnected Cities programme. The scheme is a central part of the transformation of broadband the government is delivering across the country.
Each local scheme is designed to meet local needs while helping local businesses to grow and develop.
The voucher covers up to £3,000 of installation costs, but businesses can also apply as a group to connect bigger or more complex premises. Once installed, businesses pay the usual line rental and VAT.
More than 12,000 vouchers have already been issued to businesses in other cities around the UK. From 1 April this year, small businesses in another 28 cities, including Preston, will be eligible to apply.
Culture Secretary, Sajid Javid, said:
“This is fantastic news for Preston, as we know how important a fast broadband connection is for businesses across the UK. We want to make sure that small businesses have the technology they need to compete in the digital age. This scheme will help tens of thousands of small businesses around the UK and I urge all Preston businesses to apply for a voucher from April 2015 onwards.”
The benefits to businesses of improved broadband connections include:
- Increasing your profits by offering better services to more satisfied customers
- Improving your customers’ experience with quicker, communication and faster file-sharing thanks to higher upload and download speeds, especially for large files
- Customer and supplier management systems will work better and be more accessible.
- Reducing software and hardware costs by helping businesses switch to online data storage solutions.
- Enhancing the way you communicate and collaborate through online video conference and cloud-based information sharing
After 1 April, all Preston businesses have to do is enter their postcode at www.connectionvouchers.co.uk to check eligibility, choose a supplier and fill in an application form or pick an ‘off the shelf’ deal with no forms to fill in.
So if you are an SME, registered charity, social enterprise or sole trader operating in Preston, then click on the link above to see if you qualify towards a faster Internet service for your business and get on board with Super-fast Britain.
As a partner with the leading Internet service provider registered with the scheme, why not contact us on 0800 50 533 50 or enquiry here to see if your business qualifies for this exciting new government venture.
