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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.