The Mayor of London Offers Financial Support for Businesses to Install High-Speed Broadband

London is one of twenty-two cities across the United Kingdom that is participating in the Broadband Connection Vouchers scheme funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.  The scheme aimed to assist businesses cover the cost of installing High-Speed Broadband.

Broadband Connection Vouchers provide up to £3,000.00 for the installation of a faster broadband connection, usually of at least 30Mbit/s, or a dedicated business grade broadband service.

High-speed broadband makes it more practical to work in the cloud, it quicker to transfer large files securely and it offers a more productive and reliable service.  All of which could support your business to work more efficiently, to grow without the need to invest in more data hardware and, potentially, to reduce your operating costs.

Broadband Connection Vouchers are available to your business in London so long as:

–          it is a Small or Medium Enterprise (SME), registered charity, social enterprise or sole trader.

–          the installation of your new broadband connection will cost over £100.

–          the connection is for your business premises.  This can be your home if this is your main work place but not if you only work from home occasionally.

–          you are prepared to commit to a minimum six month contract with your supplier.

–          the service that you select delivers a speed or performance improvement on your current connection.

–          you have not received more than around £120,000 in government grants in the last three years.

The definition of a Small or Medium Enterprise is covered by the European Commission.

A Small Enterprise is defined as having forty-nine or less full time employees and a turnover or Balance Sheet total of less than €10,000,000.

A Medium Enterprise is defined as having two hundred and forty-nine or less full time employees and a turnover of less than €50,000,000 or Balance Sheet total of less than €43,000,000.

As part of the application process, you would need to upload a quote from a registered supplier.  Help in finding a quote that fits your business requirements can be found in the London Broadband Guide at https://www.connectionvouchers.co.uk/broadband-guide/.

At CooperFaure, we have extensive knowledge of government-funded schemes for SMEs and sole traders.  If you would like to discuss your circumstances or have any questions, please contact welcome@cooperfaure.co.uk to arrange an initial free consultation.