Grants of up to £3000 are available to fund the capital costs of faster internet connectivity.
Manchester and Salford City Councils are helping local businesses with a faster broadband installation scheme.
Manchester City Council has a commitment to support businesses in Manchester and are helping to fund the installation of superfast internet connectivity with up to £3,000 of vouchers to help with costs.
Faster connection can make your business more efficient, cheaper to run and easier to develop:
• More people can share your connection at one time and still enjoy high speeds
• Services such as videoconferencing, which require faster speeds, work better
• ‘Voice over IP’ becomes possible for more users, replacing conventional telephones
• ‘Cloud’-based services (storing information ‘virtually’) work faster and with shorter delays
It’s a grant, not a loan, so you don’t need to pay it back.
In most cases, the vouchers (accepted by most internet service providers, including the best-known household names) will cover the cost of getting connected, leaving you to pay just the VAT and monthly subscription.
If you’re a sole trader, a self-employed home worker, or if you employ fewer than 250 people, you could be eligible for this grant*. As long as your turnover is less than £43million each year and you don’t already have a superfast connection (even if you share a building with other business tenants, or your landlord provides a managed service) you can apply.
To apply, visit: www.manchester.gov.uk/superconnected and request a quote.
Voucher connection event
To find out more about the fully-funded business support available and how to apply for your vouchers, come along to the free event for professional and financial services on:
Wednesday 19 March 2014, 8am-10.30am at Grant Thornton, Spinningfields, Manchester.
Click here to register to attend