Homes with poor broadband to get £1,500 vouchers to speed up connection

Thousands of households who are struggling to access fast broadband will be handed £1,500 vouchers to help boost technology and improve their home’s connectivity.

The support will be available through the government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and will fund the installation of faster internet.

The scheme – which first launched in March 2018 – is being extended in April to give households in rural areas extra financial support.

So far more than 66,000 vouchers worth up to £127million have been issued to properties across the UK.

The new vouchers, worth up to £1,500 for homes and up to £3,500 for businesses, will be available from April 8.

It forms part of the government’s Project Gigabit, which is a £5billion infrastructure project.

To qualify, your existing broadband speed must be less than 100Mbps.

You must also live in an area where there are no plans to install a gigabit capable in the near future.

To qualify, you also need to be part of a group project of two or more homes and/or businesses who will combine their vouchers towards the shared cost of installation – benefiting others in the community.

As a result, single connections aren’t eligible for the scheme.

Under the plans, those with speeds of 50Mbps should see their connectivity double.

The Gigabit vouchers will only be available through a supplier that is registered with the government scheme – with the small print to be shared next month.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Project Gigabit is the rocket boost that we need to get lightning-fast broadband to all areas of the country.

“This broadband revolution will fire up people’s businesses and homes, and the vital public services that we all rely on, so we can continue to level up and build back better from this pandemic.”