About the voucher scheme

As part of the UK Government’s Project Gigabit initiative, Building Digital UK (BDUK) has implemented a voucher scheme to help people in hard-to-reach rural communities access gigabit-capable broadband speeds for the first time. 

Historically, many rural areas have had limited access to reliable, high-speed broadband because the cost of building new network infrastructure can be significantly higher than in towns and cities. The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme helps overcome this challenge by contributing towards the cost of connecting eligible homes and businesses to a full-fibre network. 

For eligible properties, the voucher can help cover installation costs, making it easier to access future-proof broadband without large upfront fees. 

You can read more about Project Gigabit here.

What is gigabit-capable broadband?

Gigabit-capable broadband is an ultrafast and reliable full-fibre connection (also known as FTTP or Fibre to the Premises). Unlike older broadband networks that rely partly on copper cables, full-fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables all the way to your property. 

This allows for significantly faster and more consistent speeds, supporting activities such as streaming, video calls, online gaming and connecting multiple devices at the same time. 

As more households rely on smart technology and bandwidth-intensive applications, full-fibre broadband provides the performance needed both now and in the future. 

How does the scheme work?

The voucher process is designed to be as simple as possible. Once you’ve ordered your Highland Broadband service, we’ll manage the application with BDUK on your behalf. You’ll only need to complete two quick confirmations to validate your voucher and confirm your connection once installation is complete – we do everything else for you!

Step 1: Validating your voucher
Once you sign up for one of our full-fibre broadband plans, we’ll request an installation voucher from Building Digital UK (BDUK) on your behalf. You’ll recive an email from BDUK with a one-time link and password, asking you to view and accept the terms of the scheme.

This email will come from [email protected] with the subject Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme – action required. Sometimes this email might go into your junk folder, so please check there.

The link will look like this:

Click on the link and fill in your email address and the password provided:

If you’re having issues accessing the link in the email, here are some common things to check:

• Make sure you’re entering the same email address you used to sign up to Highland Broadband
• Double check the password (6-digit code) matches the one in the email from BDUK

Select that you’re a resident:

You’ll then be asked to accept the terms and conditions – don’t forget to press submit!

We need the voucher to be validated before we can go ahead with your installation. You have 28 days before the voucher expires, so please get in touch if you haven’t received this within 48 hours after your order. We’re open Monday to Friday 9am-6pm and you can reach us on 0330 236 9900. Our friendly onboarding team in Inverness will be able to answer any questions you may have.

Step 2: Confirming your full-fibre broadband connection
Once your property has been connected to our full-fibre network, you’ll need to confirm with BDUK that the installation has been successfully completed, and you’re getting the speeds you signed up for. You’ll receive another email from BDUK with a one-time link and password which will take you to a page asking you to confirm your connection. You’ll also be asked to complete a satisfaction survey about your new full-fibre service.

This is the final step required for BDUK to release the voucher funding and confirm that your installation costs are covered, so it’s important that you complete it as soon as possible after your connection goes live. 

It’s as simple as that!

Here to help
If you have any questions about the voucher process or are having any issues completing your voucher validation, just give us a call on 0330 236 9900 – our trained onboarding team in Inverness is here to help.