Voucher scheme improves local business
Better business broadband is only a few clicks away for Devon-based firm thanks to a broadband funding scheme by Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS).
Based in rural Devon with business operations in London, local company tumuv, established by resident entrepreneur Holly Woodford, has recently benefitted from a broadband connection offered through the CDS Voucher Scheme.
Supplier Torbay Telecom has connected a number of premises in the Ideford area of South Devon to their fixed wireless service bringing speeds of around 30Mbps, enabling Holly to manage tumuv and her second technology company GoPlayGo more efficiently from her home.
“I absolutely love living in rural Devon however running two businesses from home has been near on impossible. Air Fibre has literally transformed my day to day life and enables me to connect 24/7 with my business interest across the globe.”
Tumuv creates and licenses branded activity programmes to reduce sedentary lifestyles. Relying heavily on IT technology and working with the Peppa Pig pre-school brand Holly launched Move with Peppa in January 2015 and is currently operational in 45 places across the UK. Holly is one of nearly 2000 people to have been issued a voucher under the CDS scheme which now has eighteen broadband suppliers offering connections.
Following congratulations from the Prime Ministers in a recent PMQs Councillor David Hall commented: “The CDS voucher scheme is the largest in the country and this success is down to the great work carried out by CDS and their partner providers who offer an outstanding service to the premises connected so far.”
Holly added: “Without the help of CDS and Torbay Telecom I would not have been able to launch my 2nd business GoPlayGo in North London this summer. GoPlayGo is an app for parents to find and book children’s activities. Our app is real time and we use video as our primary way to market. With speeds of less than 2Mbps it would take 2-3 hours to upload a video to Facebook.”
Councillor John Hart expressed his delight at the success of the voucher scheme and said: “The scheme has enabled a successful entrepreneur like Holly to better her lifestyle and improve her business. The local economy is strengthened with better infrastructure and tumuv is an example of a company with positive benefits for wider society being able to deliver more of the great work they do through the introduction of technology.”
Connecting Devon and Somerset is working with its partners to get solutions to every home and business in the two counties with the voucher scheme offering options for those on the slowest speeds to benefit from some connection immediately. The voucher scheme offers a £500 subsidy to residents with speeds below 2Mbps to allow them to install alternative broadband solutions with a choice of sixteen providers with services including fixed wireless and 4G, taking customers up to at least 10Mbps.
At an event celebrating the success of the scheme and promoting it to residents in Ideford, Devon, MP Anne Marie Morris commented: “It is fantastic to see the Connecting Devon and Somerset voucher scheme being used so effectively to connect those properties with the greatest need of better service. Fast internet is essential to modern society and the local economy is greatly benefitted by the ability of businesses like GoPlayGo to be run from rural areas which are a credit to my constituency.”
The voucher scheme supports the wider programme which has so far delivered superfast fibre to over 263,000 premises across Devon and Somerset under phase one. The procurement for the second phase of the superfast broadband scheme is well under way, and when contracted at the end of the year will see a further £39.5m of public sector investment in the delivery of Next Generation Access broadband services (a minimum of 30 Mbps), and ultrafast broadband (of speeds greater than 100 Mbps) to tens of thousands of homes and businesses across Devon and Somerset.
CDS board member Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, said: “The voucher scheme is a great way for residents to receive a better connection as we work to finalise further connections under phase two. The interest we have had so far is pleasing and we look forward to some good competitive tenders being submitted in November so that we can push on with connecting more of those who properties who are in need of faster speeds.”
Applications for the voucher scheme can be made at the CDS website at https://www.connectingdevonandsomerset.co.uk/cds-broadband-voucher-scheme/ Applications must be made before the 30th of November 2016 to ensure connections and invoicing can be processed ahead of the end of the financial year 16/17.
