Dorset Wireless ISP Juice Broadband Approved for 2Mbps Subsidy Scheme

Rural Dorset (England) ISP Juice Broadband, which offers a 40Mbps capable wireless broadband service to parts of Bournemouth, Poole and the surrounding areas, is the latest to be named as an approved supplier for the £60m “2Mbps for all” rural broadband subsidy.

The non-binding Universal Service Commitment was finalised at the end of 2015 (here) and is focused upon helping an estimated 300,000 UK premises that might not benefit from the Broadband Delivery UK roll-out of “superfast” (24Mbps+) fixed line services.

The subsidy offers grants worth up to around £350 that could be used to reduce the initial cost of having a Satellite broadband service installed. But not everybody is a fan of inferior Satellite and initial uptake has been low (here), which might explain why the Government has already extended it to several wireless ISPs (e.g. Quickline and Wessex Internet).

Wayne Simpson, Director of Juice Broadband, told ISPreview.co.uk:

“We are really pleased to be approved as a supplier on the Basic Broadband Subsidy Scheme, and it is encouraging to see BDUK allowing the use of the subsidy for Fixed Wireless Access technology as an alternative to satellite connectivity in areas poorly served by landline providers.”

Wayne also informed us that their service is currently expanding into two additional areas around Christchurch and Bere Regis, with another two areas planned for later this year. For customers who have applied for a voucher under this scheme, the aim is to make the installation free of charge.

At present Juice’s cheapest package starts at £25 per month (install from £99) and this gives you a 30Mbps download speed (2Mbps upload), 100GB usage, wifi router and a free connection to the WIDE call phone service. Juice are also looking at a future FTTH broadband network in the area.