Faster broadband plan for rural areas of Cornwall

Wildanet has been contracted to deliver gigabit-capable broadband across east and west Cornwall and in St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly

Up to 16,800 homes and businesses across Cornwall will have access to faster broadband after a £41m government contract was awarded to local provider Wildanet.

The Liskeard-based firm will deliver gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses across east and west Cornwall and in St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly.

Gigabit-capable broadband can deliver speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second which is up to 30 times faster than superfast connections, Wildanet said.

Installation works are planned to begin in autumn.

Gigabit-capable broadband can deliver speeds of up to 1,000 megabits per second, Wildanet said

Gigabit speeds mean households can download a high-definition film in under one minute, stream and download entertainment and shop online across several different devices at once, Wildanet said.

Towns and villages to benefit from the latest funding stretch from Bude to Looe in the east of the county and from Portreath to the Helford River in the west.

Helen Wylde-Archibald, Wildanet chief executive officer, said: “It will help to bridge the digital divide, rectifying the historic imbalance in rural broadband provision whilst furthering the government’s ambition to grow the economy by rolling out first-class digital infrastructure."

This contract is the third major investment in the county by the government through its £5bn Project Gigabit programme.

It follows an investment of £36m by the government in 2023 which resulted in Wildanet being awarded two contracts to connect up to 19,250 homes and businesses in south west and mid-Cornwall.