12 Months Free Phone and Broadband for N.Ireland Businesses

Biz ISP Barclay Communications, which serves Northern Ireland, has launched a new £250,000 grant scheme – ‘Barclay Backing Business Grant’ – to support local firms that have suffered a downturn in business as a result of the pandemic. Under this, successful applications will receive “free telecoms solutions for 12 months.”

The announcement notes that there will be zero obligation to continue with a contract with Barclay Communications when the first 12-month period ends, although they’d of course like it very much if you did. The scheme will include fixed business landlines, broadband and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services.

Companies of all sizes, from start-ups right through to large scale enterprises, are eligible to apply to the Barclay Backing Business Grant. Applicants will need to answer three questions – how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted your business; your communication spend in 2019/20 during the pandemic; and how would free telecoms services for 12 months benefit your business?

Britt Megahey, Founder and MD of Barclay Communications, said:

“We have been very privileged over the past year to have experienced our most successful period ever in our 25-year history but we are aware that many other businesses experienced the opposite.

We recognise that those businesses, especially when furlough ends, and bounceback loans have to be repaid, will need every penny they have to thrive and invest in their business wisely. To help some of those in that challenging position we are offering to support their communication needs as they reconnect and resume business.

The Barclay Backing Business Grant is just one of our new corporate social responsibility initiatives that we hope will support our peers in the NI business community. It’s important that businesses support each other as much as possible at this time.”

The deadline for entry is 5pm on Friday 29th October 2021. The ISP uses services via Gamma and Openreach’s UK network platforms.