Alternative Full Fibre ISP Wildanet Signs Armed Forces Covenant

Rural UK ISP Wildanet, which is building a new gigabit speed Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across parts of Cornwall and Devon in England, has this week become the latest provider to sign the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) – witnessed by several of the many ex-service personnel already working for the company.

The AFC broadly reflects a pledge to recognise the contribution of serving personnel, both regular and reservists, veterans and military families – often as part of recruitment (i.e. ensuring they are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives). A number of other broadband operators (e.g. BT, Sky Broadband, EE, Plusnet, TalkTalk, CityFibre, Virgin Media, G.Network and many more) are also signatories.

Paddy Paddison, Wildanet Chief Technology Officer, and himself a veteran of the Royal Corps of Signals, signed the covenant on behalf of Wildanet, with Major John Porter, Officer Commanding 232 Port Squadron, based in Bodmin (part of 165 Port and Maritime Regiment RLC), signing on behalf of the armed services.

Paddy Paddison said:

“At Wildanet, we deeply value the dedication, resilience, and expertise of individuals who have served in the armed forces. By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, we reaffirm our unwavering support for veterans and ex-service personnel, providing them with the necessary resources and opportunities to build successful careers outside the military. We are proud to be part of a nationwide initiative that recognises and celebrates their contributions.

We are also very excited to be supporting the Armed Forces Day National Event in Falmouth where, most appropriately, we have chosen a team of veterans from within Wildanet who will be putting the communications infrastructure in place. This will include providing wireless internet access to about 120 traders/stands during the event, together with the connectivity to enable live streaming and commentary of the Red Arrows and other activities and air displays on to a big screen in events square.”

The provider, which is being supported by an investment of £50m from the Gresham House British Strategic Investment Infrastructure Fund (BSIF) and recently scooped a £36m Project Gigabit contract to cover another 19,250 premises across rural parts of Cornwall (here), is currently ramping-up its rollout across the South West. In addition, they recently named 9 new locations in Devon for their FTTP build (here).