DCMS scheme partner Coventry Council confirmed local supplier WarwickNet has, to date, issued the majority of vouchers for its full-fibre gigabit-capable services in the region, 67 per cent of the total requests made.
Locally-based stationery business Nuco International is one of the first companies in the UK to benefit from free installation of a gigabit-capable connection by WarwickNet. The company, which also has an office in Hong Kong, took advantage of the scheme as they prepared to transition systems to the cloud and sought faster download and upload speeds.
“We were already keen on upgrading our infrastructure to full-fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP), but the Gigabit Voucher Scheme made it a much more cost-effective solution,” said Mark Langan, IT and Project Manager. “We’re now getting three times the speed for no extra cost.”
James Warner, Director of Sales and Marketing at WarwickNet said: “There were no guarantees this scheme would roll-out to more areas so we’re absolutely delighted it will be. Our strong partnerships with customers and detailed knowledge of their infrastructure and business needs puts us in an ideal place to promote the value of this scheme to both them and businesses generally. We’ve proven our commitment to full-fibre provision by issuing the majority of vouchers in our pilot area.
“Now businesses around the UK will benefit from our rapid deployment of full-fibre connections and hands-on customer support. As we invest in our own high-speed infrastructure, we’re not beholden to the constraints of just the Openreach network like some providers are. This is our advantage and ultimately why we are performing as efficiently and effectively as we do.”
Commenting on the scheme, TrueSpeed CEO Evan Wienburg said: “What we achieved during the pilot sets a blueprint for the rest of the country as the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is rolled out nationwide. The £67 million investment announced today is a very welcome move, and a catalyst that will enable hundreds of millions of pounds of private money to be invested across the country. It provides a cost-effective way for the Government to support privately funded full fibre infrastructure providers in their efforts to connect the digitally left behind. This is a vital building block in the creation of a nationwide digital economy that will help the country to thrive.”