Guidance

Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme information

Updated 17 April 2024

The government is committed to delivering lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. 

Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion programme that targets hard-to-reach areas where it is more difficult and more expensive to build digital infrastructure.  The majority of the rollout will come through local and regional contracts, providing subsidies to suppliers to extend their gigabit-capable networks to premises that are unlikely to be reached otherwise.

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) is part of Project Gigabit, focused on helping specific people and communities upgrade their broadband connection.  It mainly operates in areas where there is no existing coverage, planned commercial coverage or through Project Gigabit procurements.

Eligible homes and businesses can apply for up to £4,500 to cover the costs of a gigabit-capable connection.

Check below if you may be eligible for a voucher.

Who is eligible?

Homes and businesses in rural locations which meet the following criteria can use vouchers to support the cost of installing new gigabit-capable connections when part of a group project.

• existing available broadband download speeds are less than 100Mbps
• a gigabit-capable network isn’t likely to be built to that area commercially in the near future  
• there is no government-funded contract planned or in place to improve your network already

Group projects are when two or more residents and/or eligible businesses get together to combine their vouchers towards the shared cost of installation. Single connections are not eligible for the scheme.  Projects will also be subject to BDUK commercial and value for money assessments.

Your new connection speed must reach: 

• at least double your existing speed if your current speed is less than 50Mbps 
• at least 100Mbps if your current speed is more than 50Mbps

Business eligibility

In order to qualify for a business voucher you will be asked to self-certify that you are a Small or Medium size Enterprise (SME), as defined by sections 465 to 467 of the Companies Act 2006 which can be summarised as:

• up to 249 employees and annual turnover no greater than £36 million; and/or
• an annual balance sheet total not exceeding £18 million

You will be asked to provide evidence of your status as a SME or sole trader. You 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.

Not-for-profit and charitable undertakings which qualify as SMEs are eligible in the same way that for-profit enterprises are.

Check eligibility

Find out if you are eligible for a voucher by identifying if your area is open for new voucher projects on the map below. 

Areas accepting new voucher projects can contact one of the listed suppliers in the Active Gigabit Voucher Scheme Suppliers table to enquire about a new voucher scheme. Suppliers with active schemes will be able to conduct further checks against the criteria above to confirm eligibility.

If you are not eligible you could still make enquiries with active suppliers listed to see if they have plans to build in your area.

Active Gigabit Voucher Scheme Suppliers

The table below shows the areas where the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is currently open for new applications. The broadband suppliers listed are currently active in those areas. The scheme may reopen in other areas in the future.

Area open to new Voucher Scheme applications	Active Gigabit Voucher Scheme Suppliers in your area
4 - North East	Alnwick Computerware LTD YouFibre B4RN Factco Openreach Signa Technologies Ltd Telcom Internetty
6 & 6.01 - North Somerset and Mid/East Devon & West Somerset	Airband Community Cerberus Networks e-volve Solutions Ltd Gigaclear Ltd Bush Broadband Limited Openreach TrueSpeed Communications Ltd Technological Services Limited Voneus Ltd Wessex Internet Ltd Wildanet Ltd
15.01 - North Herefordshire	Airband Community Openreach
21 - Essex	County Broadband Ltd Gigaclear Ltd Openreach
22 - East Surrey	Crockham Hill CIC trading as AirFast Box Broadband Ltd Broadband for Surrey Hills Ltd Trooli Cerberus Networks F&W Networks Ltd Grayshott Gigabit Limited Openreach Swish Fibre Limited
25 - East Shropshire	AJ Technology T/A Kloud 9 Airband Community Cerberus Networks Exascale Limited Freedom Fibre Openreach Secure Web Services Ltd
35 - Birmingham and the Black Country	Openreach
36 - Merseyside and Great Manchester	B4RN Freedom Fibre Openreach TalkTalk Communications Limited
37 - Greater London	Trooli Openreach
38 - Newcastle and North Tyneside	Openreach
99 - Isle of Wight	Openreach Wight Fibre

How do the vouchers work?

Businesses or residents that are eligible for gigabit vouchers can access the scheme through one of the named broadband suppliers in the table above.

Voucher funding can only be used through a broadband supplier registered to this scheme as part of a broadband upgrade project shared with your neighbours. A supplier may already be developing a project in your area or they may be able to develop a new project if there is enough demand in your community.

They will need to develop a project proposal to connect you and your neighbours, and then request vouchers on your behalf. Funding is only committed when a voucher requested on your behalf has been approved by the GBVS team, and we have your agreement to our terms and conditions.

Below shows the step-by-step process to activate a voucher:

1. Check whether you’re in an area that is open to new voucher applications

2. Talk to a registered supplier in your area and confirm eligibility - are they getting a voucher project together? Yes - Ask to be part of the project. No - why not try and gather community interest together with a supplier?

3. Sign up for a gigabit-capable connection with your chosen supplier

4. Your supplier requests a voucher from the GBVS team. We check you are happy to go ahead by email

5. Your supplier gets to work to deliver your new connection

6. Connected! Your supplier lets us know the work is done

7. The GBVS team check with you by email that the service is live and working

8. We sometimes make some further checks before we pay

Suppliers

To register as a supplier with the scheme you must be able to supply gigabit-capable connectivity to customers. Suppliers wishing to register will need to complete an online application form.

Auditors

Campbell & Kennedy Maintenance Ltd are our appointed compliance agent for the Auditing of Broadband Installations for Building Digital UK (BDUK). Further detail on Campbell & Kennedy can be found here.

Campbell & Kennedy Maintenance Ltd will perform compliance audits to ensure that the Suppliers services to beneficiaries have been delivered to you in line with the Broadband Installations for BDUK under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS) terms and conditions.

A member of their team may contact you via email or phone, to arrange an appointment. Their auditor will inspect the installation of the broadband equipment, measure and record the broadband speeds and provide a report to feedback the standard of the installation to BDUK who are an Executive Agency to the Department of Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Email: Operations@ckmaintenance.co.uk

Telephone: 0141 952 1933

Website: https://campbellkennedy.co.uk