GUEST BLOG: Better Broadband for Oxfordshire

Superfast Broadband? Ultrafast Broadband? Full Fibre Broadband? What are the differences and how do I future-proof my businesses’ connectivity requirements?

The great majority of small and medium enterprises will have access to superfast broadbandor possibly be paying for expensive leased lines to access cloud and web based services.

Full-fibre broadband is a fibre optic connection from a premise all the way to the telephone exchange and on to the ‘www’ internet backbone. It can provide 1GB/s download speeds now and has the technical means of providing higher speeds in the future. It has no dependency on legacy copper telephone lines.

Right now government is operating a voucher scheme for businesses to access part-funding and sometimes full-fundingfor the installation of the full-fibre infrastructure to your business.

The scheme operates by making an application to a supplier which then makes the application to government for the applicable voucher value which stands at £2500 per business and £500 for qualifying residential premises as part of a joint application.

For businesses located in a cluster this means a joint application can be made whereby the vouchers may be combined to offset the installation costs and can often fully fund the installation.

But the funding for the scheme is finite and applications are mounting fastso you need to act quickly to ensure you don’t miss out.

Please search for ‘Gigabit Voucher Scheme’ or visit the Gigabit Voucher Scheme website for full details of how to apply.

You may also contact the Better Broadband for Oxfordshire team via: Broadband@oxfordshire.gov.uk should you need any help