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News - Paul Lipscombe
January 7, 2021
After 12 months, 36-month contract reverts to standard business rates
Vodafone is offering 12 months’ free broadband to all small businesses (one to 50 employees), including existing customers, to help them survive through the latest national lockdown.
The offer is available on a 36-month plan to all small businesses across the UK until February 28, with a one-time £20 fee to cover setup costs.
Once the free 12-month period has passed, the monthly fee will revert back to £22.50 per month for Business Broadband Superfast 1 and £25 per month for Business Broadband Superfast 2.
It is an extension of Vodafone’s previous offer of six months’ free broadband to SMEs from June last year.
Commenting on the offer, Vodafone’s business director Anne Sheehan said: “The message to small businesses is clear: we’re here to help. Businesses need to be running as efficiently as possible in 2021 – that means getting online, using the best digital tools, getting the best business advice, and spending as little money as possible. It’s great to see how businesses adapted throughout last year, and we’re here to help more do the same in 2021.”
Vodafone’s offer comes in light of research it commissioned from Enterprise Nation, a small business community network that represents more than 60,000 UK SMEs.
Enterprise Nation’s research found that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the percentage of small businesses running entirely online has doubled from 27 per cent to 55 per cent.
Additionally, 71 per cent say they are more reliant on broadband than before the pandemic, while 94 per cent said they relied on video calls during the pandemic to keep business going.
Data drive
Vodafone’s SME initiative comes as Three, BT and O2 have all offered varying degrees of extra monthly data for families struggling with connectivity while home schooling during lockdown.
Vodafone has not yet confirmed that it is also participating in the scheme, but in November last year it launched its schools.connected initiative, with the aim of providing free connectivity to up to 250,000 children across the UK.
