The aim is to address small businesses and homeworkers/residential premises in partial or total indoor mobile not spots and to improve their indoor 4G coverage by acquiring a signal booster through a universal voucher scheme across the Heart of the South West.
This approach will foster a more mobile, flexible and dynamic workforce and meet the call objectives to target the hardest to reach areas. However, whilst making the scheme a universal offer, the project will target both small businesses and home workers in the main.
The programme will focus on small business connections and estimate that 65% of vouchers will be taken up by small businesses and 35% of vouchers will be taken up by residential/homeworkers or other types of eligible premises). The scheme will target those premises which have no adequate coverage from any operator or only 1 operator. This approach is highly scalable and if successful could easily be expanded with further funding.
The value of each voucher will be £800. This should be sufficient along with the match funding to incentivise the supplier and ensure the small business applying for the voucher can purchase the equipment from a range of suppliers.
The scheme will include an element of match funding from the small businesses and homeworkers/residents benefiting from the vouchers in the range of £150 – £250.
This voucher scheme addresses all outcomes by providing connectivity improvements which should result in productivity benefits including improved utilisation, the ability to work from home and flexible working; carbon reduction benefits from saving on travel; the ability to study and improve digital skills; purchase local services and access to the wider services
The location of the project is the whole of the HotSW LEP area.
Growth Deal Funding: £1m
