Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme Closes to New UK Projects
The Government’s Building Digital UK (BDUK) agency has confirmed that their long-running Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (GBVS), which offered grants to help those in digitally disadvantaged areas get significantly faster internet connections installed, has now closed to the submission of new voucher projects.
The GBVS typically offered grants worth up to £4,500 to help both rural and some poorly served urban premises (homes and businesses) to get a gigabit-capable broadband (1Gbps) ISP network installed. This was available to areas that only had access to significantly slower broadband speeds – assuming there were no near-term plans for a gigabit deployment in the same area (either via private investment or publicly subsidised).
However, back in early 2024 it was announced that the GBVS would be closed on 31st March 2028 (here), which at the time meant the final date that vouchers could be issued to suppliers was 31st March 2027 (i.e. this allows for the usual 12-month network build window to run its course). But BDUK did later tweak the rules to allow some vouchers to be issued beyond March 2027, although the option for such an extension was removed on 31st July 2026.
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The key development this week is that, since 31st August 2026, suppliers can no longer submit any new voucher project proposals to BDUK for the few UK areas that remained open to the scheme. Delivery of existing projects will of course continue until the closure date, but we are now in the final stretch as the scheme itself is being slowly wound-down.
Back in June 2026 we reported that both past and present voucher schemes had so far helped 384,810 premises (passed) gain access to faster broadband (here). But past March 2028 it appears likely that the government may end up adopting a different approach to help resolve any remaining gaps in gigabit connectivity, such as those that are expected to remain once Project Gigabit completes in 2032.
Take note that the closure of the GBVS doesn’t prevent local authorities and devolved regional governments from continuing to run their own voucher schemes with their own funding.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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I worry this will adversely affect B4RN as they relied on these.
Well, it will affect them I’m sure but as the article points out, this eventually has been known about for some time and likely B4RN have already factored this in.
In reality, BDUK gave up on vouchers some time ago largely in preference to regional procurement contracts.
B4RN have previously never gone for these, primarily because they are big, expensive, county-sized contracts. The also only pay out when a premises is made available for connection so you need to fork out (and most likely borrow) a lot of money upfront. This has got many commercial AltNets in financial hot water recently as we know.
There is also an obligation to offer wholesale facilities to other ISPs which doesn’t really fit well with non-profit community benefit broadband AltNets like B4RN. They use a lot of community ‘sweat equity’ to get things built and save costs, rather than offer profit-making opportunities for commercial ISPs.
B4RN passed 15,000 connected customers last year and they are still building out projects in the Northeast of England.
Granted, small numbers in the grand scheme but all gigabit symmetrical delivered inclusively over a huge, sparsely populated footprint for 35 quid a month.
More power to them and other similar community broadband projects.
Nice to see any areas not yet moved over to FTTP will now have an even greater uphill battle. My entire area was avoided by BT due to “commercial viability”, and vouchers were never available here so now I have a virtually-zero chance of ever getting FTTP.
Pack it up, was fun while it lasted.
Ahhh, government led digital exclusion.. Because if you are not including then you are excluding.
So BDUK are ensuring inclusion all, particulalrly if you’re a taxpayer in these ‘difficult’ (not cheap) areas. Taking taxes for services not delivered, is well rather not very honourable.