Digital Britain: Connecting the Nation is being aired for the first time at the key telecoms industry event Connected Britain, taking place over two-days (September 11-12 2024) at the ExCel London. It can also be watched here.

Hosted by Duncan Golestani from the ITN London Studio, the film examines the huge importance to the UK economy of the digital sector, which in 2019 contributed nearly £151 billion to the economy and constituted nine per cent of the national workforce.

The programme features key industry and news-style reports along with sponsored editorial profiles.

Wildanet features alongside industry heavyweights Openreach and nexfibre as well as Ordnance Survey as organisations which are playing a key part in the digital revolution and enabling connectivity regionally and nationally.

The news-style programme was produced in collaboration with Connected Britain, where it will be premiered, together with leading industry and trade groups Mobile UK, TechUK and the UK Telecoms Innovation Network (UKTIN).

Wildanet has a growing reputation within the industry as a champion for digital inclusion. Its efforts on digital inclusion and sustainability have been recognised both regionally and nationally, at numerous industry awards, including winning the Sustainability Award at the Connected Britain Awards 2023 and more recently winning Best Sustainability Programme and Best Rural Fibre Provider at the 2024 UK Fibre Awards. Closer to home, Wildanet was awarded Most Sustainable Large Business at the Cornwall Sustainability Awards 2023.

In 2024 Wildanet became the first UK based AltNet (Alternative Network Provider) to become a Certified B Corporation, recognising the company’s commitment to operating as a force for good, prioritising sustainability, ethical practices and social responsibility as part of its successful ‘profit with purpose’ approach to business.

Digital Britain: Connecting the Nation looks behind the scenes at Wildanet’s mission to extending connectivity to some of the most remote areas of the South West, including through its work with Project Gigabit.

It covers the investment Wildanet is making in its communities and the local economy including the launch of its bespoke apprenticeship scheme and the establishment of the Wildanet Technical Training Academy, providing industry-leading training for the next generation of telecommunication engineers and supporting the roll-out of high-speed broadband to thousands of people living and working in the region. The Academy, together with a ground-breaking new apprenticeship programme with Truro and Penwith College is a key commitment to the delivery of Wildanet’s Full Fibre broadband network across Cornwall and Devon.

The programme also includes an interview with Merlin Hanbury-Tenison from Cabilla Cornwall about the difference Wildanet’s activity is making in Cornwall, the partnership between his business and Wildanet and Wildanet’s support for its Thousand Year Trust researching and preserving the unique habitat of the Atlantic Temperate Rainforest.

Helen Wylde Archibald, Wildanet CEO, said: “At Wildanet, we are proud to be at the forefront of the digital revolution, bringing connectivity to communities that have long been overlooked.

“Our commitment to sustainability, social responsibility, and digital inclusion is transforming lives in Cornwall and beyond. By investing in local talent and infrastructure, we are not only delivering high-speed internet to remote areas but also building a stronger, more connected future for everyone.”

Wildanet, founded in 2017 to bring high-speed internet to rural and hard-to-reach areas in the South West, is rapidly growing its Full Fibre broadband network in the region, transforming connectivity for communities where it operates.

Backed by specialist alternative asset manager Gresham House’s sustainable infrastructure strategy, with close to £100m invested since 2020, Wildanet has grown to become the largest AltNet (Alternative Network Provider) in Cornwall and a champion for digital inclusion locally and nationally. It is now a major regional employer, more than doubling its workforce in the last 18 months to over 200 staff as well as driving significant indirect economic activity and employment.Earlier this year, Wildanet secured a £35 million investment from the UK Infrastructure Bank to help accelerate its broadband rollout to underserved rural areas in the region, supporting economic growth, productivity, and social wellbeing for local communities and economies.

In July, Wildanet announced a groundbreaking new partnership agreement with global telecoms giant Nokia to support the roll-out of its new gigabit-enabled Full Fibre network for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

In 2023, Wildanet was awarded two contracts, totalling £36 million, by the UK government to connect up to 19,250 homes and businesses in South West and Mid Cornwall. This was followed in April 2024 by a further investment by the government, Wildanet awarded a £41 million contract to roll out new connections to a further 16,800 homes and businesses in East Cornwall, West Cornwall and the island of St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly.