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The Access Broadband Cymru Grant Scheme (ABC) provides grant funding to support the installation of a broadband solution to any premises within Wales that is unable to achieve a connection via any other means. Any solution can be chosen provided the average download speeds achieved post installation meets a minimum of 30mbps (megabits per second).  

Funding of up to £800 per premises is available. 

Funding is split between

• Equipment: £550
• Installation Costs: £250

The annual budget for the Scheme is £1,000,000.

The scheme is open to premises provided they meet all the following criteria:

• is within the geographical boundary of Wales.
• is not able to achieve a connection of a minimum of 30mbps download speeds via any provider.   
• has not previously received any public funding from any other UK public sector broadband intervention.  
• has not received funding from the ABC Scheme within the past 48 months (including the paused scheme) regardless of speeds achieved during this timeframe.
• has a unique premises reference number (UPRN) 

All premises are allocated a UPRN by your local authority. For a premises to be eligible for funding it must have a UPRN. This information will be collected when you apply you are not required to input it, however if you wish to check your premises UPRN details please see

To check whether you already have access to a minimum of 30mbps service prior to applying please use . Please note that you will have to contact one of the providers listed in order to receive a service.  

Please note that the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖreserves the right to close or change scheme conditions, grant eligibility criteria, funding amounts and funding splits at any time.

Premises - All

• All applications must be made by the premises owner. If you are applying for a premises you do not own you must seek permission from the owner before applying.
• Applications cannot be made on behalf of the applicant by any provider. Any application found to be made by any provider on behalf of an applicant will be deemed ineligible and rejected.
• All applications must include the full postal address, including postcode. Any application without the postcode will automatically be rejected.
• A maximum of one application can be made per premises regardless of total overall cost.
• All solutions installed must remain at the premises applied for and are not transferable under any circumstances.

Premises – Businesses

• If applying for a business or enterprise all applications must confirm VAT status and VAT registration number where applicable.  
• Applicants who are VAT registered will only eligible for the net amount, ie you will not be able to claim any VAT.
• All applications made for businesses will be awarded in line with Part 3 Chapter 2 of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 as Minimal Financial Assistance:
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• All applicants need to confirm that they haven’t received more than £315,000 in the current year and the previous two financial years to be eligible. Please contact the Broadband mailbox if you believe that you will breach these limits prior to applying.  

Broadband Solution

• All applicants are responsible for selecting their own broadband solution and provider. For further information on solutions that may be available to you please see Solutions available for getting faster broadband.
• The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖcannot provide any advice on providers or solutions other than the information provided in Solutions available for getting faster broadband.
• Any technology is eligible however the installation MUST be capable of achieving download speeds of at least 30mbps.  

Funding available

Maximum funding awarded is £800, split between:

• Equipment per premises: £550
• Installation fees per premises: £250

Examples of eligible and ineligible items are shown below. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you have any queries whether your proposed expenditure is eligible, please contact us prior to installation. Any items deemed ineligible will not be funded regardless of value or grant award. 

Eligible equipment items

• Satellite receiver / dish
• Wireless / mobile receiver
• Router
• Fibre / copper cable
• Poles / brackets etc

Ineligible Equipment Items

• Internal Boosters / Mesh Systems
• TV / Telephone Equipment
• Hardware such as computers, printers etc

Eligible Installation Items

• Engineers / Installers fees
• Site Surveys

Ineligible Installation Items

• Support and Training for applicant
• Connection Fees
• Installation Tools

Other Ineligible Items

• Monthly Subscription Fees
• Cancellation Fees 

Funding Claim

• All funding is paid in arrears – i.e. the installation has to have taken place prior to claiming funding.
• You have the option to either pay your provider directly and claim funding back from the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖor request that the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖpays the funding direct to your provider. You will be asked when you submit your claim for funding to indicate your preference.  
• You should confirm with your provider whether 
  a) They are content to receive the funding direct from the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Government
  b) They have received funding from the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖfor any scheme previously. If they haven’t, they will need to be set up on our systems. Please contact us for further guidance via the Broadband mailbox if this is the case.  

General

• All retrospective applications will be rejected regardless of the circumstances and no correspondence entered.
• Premises that have received ABC funding, including the paused scheme, within the past 48 months are not eligible to reapply regardless of speeds achieved during this time.
• All applicants are reminded that the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖdoes not provide advice or guidance on the suitability of any solution. All applicants are responsible for choosing their own solution and their own provider. Any issues with either the equipment or the provider post claim are the responsibility of the applicant and are not the responsibility of the Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Government. 

If you believe your premises meets the eligibility criteria applications should be made via the ABC Application Portal. You will be required to register on the portal, and will need to provide contact details, including an email address. 

Once registered you will be able to apply for the scheme. The only information that will be required at this time are the installation address details which must include the post code. If you are a business, enterprise or a third sector organisation you will also need your VAT Registration Number (if you have one). You will also need to confirm your MFA status.

You will be able to track your application status at any time by logging into the portal.  

If you already have an Access Broadband Cymru grant scheme account then sign in.

Once you have submitted your application it will be assessed against the eligibility criteria. 

Applications

Applications will be assessed within 20 working days. The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖreserves the right to increase these timescales should the need arise. 

Application Successful

• An offer letter will be emailed to you which includes all terms and conditions for the ABC Grant. You must read these terms and conditions before accepting the offer. Acceptance of the offer is done via the ABC Application Portal
• All offers made must be accepted within 28 calendar days of any offer being made otherwise the offer will be withdrawn
• Please click the link for a sample offer letter.

Application Unsuccessful

• An email will be sent confirming that the application has been unsuccessful. You will be provided with the opportunity to challenge this decision if you believe it to be incorrect. More information on how to do this will be found in the email. 

Installation 

• Once the offer has been accepted you can proceed with the installation. All installations must take place within 3 months of the offer being accepted. If this does not occur the offer will be automatically withdrawn, and you will have to reapply.  

Important

• You must not instruct your provider or install any equipment prior to the offer being accepted by yourselves. In all instances if this is found to have occurred the offer will be withdrawn and no funding may be claimed.  

Sign in to your Access Broadband Cymru grant scheme account to track your application.

On completion of the installation, you should submit your claim. All claims for funding must be made via the ABC Application Portal. You will be expected to include the following information as part of the claim:

• Speed test results. This information should be confirmed via a speed checker, for example:
  
  
• Amount you are claiming which should mirror the invoices you have received
• Copies of invoices must also be uploaded. Please note invoices should be itemised detailing the costs for equipment provided and installation separately. Invoices which are not itemised will be rejected and the claim will not be paid.
• All claims should be submitted no later than 28 days after the installation has been completed. Failure to submit the claim will result in the offer being withdrawn and funding will not be paid. There will be no exceptions to this.  

Sign in to your Access Broadband Cymru grant scheme account to make a claim.

• Claim information will be assessed within 15 working days.  
• Once the claim has been verified it will be included within the next payment run. Payment runs are undertaken weekly and once authorised should be received into the nominated bank account within 5 working days.
• The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖreserves the right to increase these timescales should the need arise.

For all correspondence and queries regarding the scheme please contact the ABC Team using the below email address:

broadband@gov.wales

Please allow a minimum of 5 working days for a response.