Liskeard-based connectivity provider Wildanet is cementing its position as one of Cornwall’s fastest-growing businesses.
The company, which has been building a fixed wireless access network around Cornwall for the past four years, recently secured a £50 million investment from the Gresham House British Strategic Investment Infrastructure Fund.
This sum builds on Wildanet’s initial investment from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund and will allow the team to both expand the wireless network and begin building a new fibre network. By 2023, Wildanet plans to reach at least 45% of Cornwall’s total properties.
Wildanet is also on the lookout for 32 new direct hires, more than doubling its headcount to keep up with its expanding operations. The available posts include technical and engineering positions along with sales and admin roles.
CEO Ian Calvert said: “We’re delighted with the new investment; it’s vital for helping us provide as many people as possible with a reliable high-speed Internet connection.”
From its beginnings at Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station in 2017, Wildanet’s impact is already being felt across Cornwall, with over 70,000 premises currently within its wireless network.
Where communities have had to rely on the existing copper phone lines to deliver broadband to their homes and premises, Wildanet says its network provides reliable, high-speed wireless Internet.
As one example, it cites Newlyn Harbour. According to Wildanet, limited bandwidth meant that the hundreds of crew members that came through with their catch couldn’t video call their families or sell their fish online while they were in the harbour. It says now, almost 1,000 people can now do just that, all at once.
Calvert added: “Digital exclusion is a real issue for Cornwall – especially in the most rural areas. As we continue to build out our network, we can now work with partners and other businesses to help bridge the digital divide and get everyone access to the information, services and support they need.”
