UK Infrastructure Bank commits £35m to Wildanet rollout

Wildanet has secured a £35m investment from the UK Infrastructure Bank to accelerate its broadband rollout to underserved rural areas in Cornwall.

The rollout will provide up to a further 20,000 homes and businesses with faster broadband connections to help bridge the digital divide.

The Bank’s financing, alongside a revolving credit facility from Santander structured with the assistance of Deloitte, will support Wildanet’s work in Cornwall as part of Project Gigabit.

In April 2024, Wildanet was awarded a £41m contract to address 16,800 plus homes and businesses in east Cornwall, west Cornwall and the island of St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly.

This followed contract wins in 2023 worth £36m to connect up to 19,250 homes and businesses in south West and Mid Cornwall.

John Flint, UK Infrastructure Bank CEO, said: “Our financing for Wildanet’s rollout will support communities and grow economies that would otherwise miss out on the benefits associated with improved connectivity.”

Helen Wylde-Archibald, CEO of Wildanet, added: “Wildanet’s success in forging strong partnerships with both national and local government, with institutional investors and banks, is delivering new