Connection Vouchers – Is it really the end?
As you may or not of read in the press the Governments £40m Connection Voucher fund, designed to help businesses with the costs of installing superfast broadband is now closed. The £40m put into the pot on April 1st 2015 have now been committed and the scheme has closed in respect of issuing new vouchers.
However does this mean you have lost out?
The short answer is probably not.
Why have I not lost out?
Connection Vouchers were designed to cover, or at least contribute to the cost of installing superfast broadband and connectivity, however now that the money has gone many broadband and connectivity suppliers are now offering FREE Connection in one form or another on their solutions so the cost of install is still free. Some suppliers are offering a genuine FREE Connection, some are promoting it in a different way by offering their own version of Connection Vouchers (be aware of the small print). Also for customers who are looking at a leased line, as well as having FREE Connection and installation on a number of products there is still a scheme in place to ensure that after a survey has been completed and should any excess construction charges arise because of difficulty of installation that the first £2,800 of charges are fully covered.
What do I need to be careful of?
Now the Connection Voucher scheme has finished its easy to forget that the scheme was only part of the bigger picture of rolling superfast broadband out to 95% of the country by the end of 2017. Therefore the biggest mistake you can make is committing yourself or your business to a long term contract when there may be better or more cost effective connectivity around the corner. Average Broadband prices have dropped 48% between 2004 and 2012. Avoid anything over 12/24 months on standard business broadband or fibre and avoid anything over 36 months on leased lines.
KAT Communications recommend you check you supplier agreements around connectivity very carefully. We have recently been approached by business customers who have signed ‘Automatically Renewable Contracts’ where contracts automatically roll forward to a new minimum contract period with penalties for leaving. Depending on the size of your business these terms may be in breach of OFCOM rules and regulations. Contact our team for more details.
What do KAT Communications offer?
Our strengths are in our independence and our willingness to learn about you as a business. We share our Knowledge About Telecoms with you, and you share your knowledge about your business with us. Between us we can come up with the perfect broadband or connectivity solution for your business. We can offer agreement terms to match your requirements from 1 month to 3 years, we can offer free connection on fibre products and discounts of upto £5,000 on leased line products PLUS we can bundle other services in with our broadband solutions. We recently wrote about its not the size of your broadband, its what you do with it that matters so with us, and once you have a reliable broadband connection we can also provide FREE trials of services such as Skype for Business, and Video Conferencing. PLUS until 31st December 2015 we are providing FREE VoIP Phones, saving £170 per phone (limit of 20 phones) for customers who purchase broadband from KAT Communications. (subject to terms and conditions).
If you have missed out on the Connection Vouchers or for more information, talk to our team today on 01302 260195 or via enquiries@79.170.44.128
