Alternative options
Suffolk County Council is committed to getting superfast broadband to all premises in Suffolk. For some homes and businesses this may take a few more years - however, there are some other options for getting better broadband.
Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for a voucher scheme to increase gigabit-capable connectivity in rural areas. Homes and businesses in rural areas of the UK may be eligible for funding towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband when part of a group scheme. Gigabit packages offer download speeds of up to 1,000Mbps. This huge leap in speed could benefit you and your business now and in the future. Get the fastest and most reliable speeds for your business - find out more about the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.
Please note: as of January 2022, the Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme is currently paused for Suffolk during the Suffolk Project Gigabit tender process. We will update this page as soon as the scheme is available again for Suffolk.
Community schemes
With a community self-help option, such as a community self-dig, you may be able to bring forward a broadband upgrade to your community. Through Openreach’s Fibre Community Partnerships, areas that are not included in any fibre roll-out plans can get advice and support to bring fibre broadband to their area. Our Community Schemes page has more information about the options available, and if you would like to learn more about self-dig schemes (and read some local case studies), please visit the self-dig page on our website.
Interim broadband solutions
There are also a number of interim broadband solutions available, such as satellite broadband, mobile broadband or wireless broadband. Read out interim broadband solutions page to find out more.
You may be able to receive some funding towards the cost of these solutions - the Government has introduced a broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO), which will give people in the UK the right to request a broadband connection at a minimum speed of 10Mbps. Under the USO, eligible homes and businesses will be able to request a connection where the cost of building it is no more than £3,400. The Ofcom website has more information about the USO.
