INTERNET provider Wildanet is bringing at least £50-million in investment and new jobs to South East Cornwall as it expands its business.

And an historic empty building is set to be put to the most modern of uses as the company makes its permanent headquarters in Liskeard.

Wildanet, which specialises in broadband for hard-to-reach and rural areas, brought Cornwall’s first gigabit speeds to Liskeard last year, installing its receiver on the roof of the Public Hall.

Having worked out of a small building to the rear of Westbourne House in the town centre, the company is now about to start a 25 year lease of the main Grade II listed building, and will be making Liskeard its base in Cornwall.

The town and surrounding area will be the first to benefit from its planned hyperfast broadband network, says CEO Ian Calvert, with 6,000 premises expected to be able to receive the new service by autumn of this year.

“We don’t want anyone left behind and our mission is to bridge the digital divide and ensure that all communities and businesses, however remote or rural across Cornwall, have access to the internet they need,” he said.

Wildanet has largely been using fixed wireless technology to bring superfast broadband to communities otherwise limited to broadband access via the more traditional and slower copper cable networks. Larger internet providers have stumbled across difficulties in rural Cornish areas, as this traditional infrastructure “gets clogged up with oversubscription”, says Ian.While much of the physical installation of the new network will run along the existing highway, Wildanet says it is also keen to work closely with farmers and other landowners to allow fibre cables to be routed across their land where it is not possible to use public footpaths, verges and roads.Cllr Rachel Brooks, Mayor of Liskeard, said: “We are very pleased that Wildanet chose Liskeard as their base, as one of a growing number of digital companies in the town. The company clearly has exciting plans and I know they are also committed to supporting the local community in a variety of ways.”After early investment from a number of Angel investors supported by Crowdcube and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Investment Fund, at the end of 2020, Wildanet secured a £50-million investment from the Gresham House BSI Infrastructure Fund LP, to enable it to roll out its new gigabit-capable broadband network across Cornwall.Wildanet has recruited 26 people since January, and by 2022 it will have created around 70 new jobs in the area, as well as a further 28 indirectly employed by the company.“With the exception of one or two, all these are local people,” says CEO Ian Calvert, who says that Liskeard and Westbourne House fit the bill for a number of reasons. We had originally planned to go to Bodmin, because we felt it was central. But we were making a presentation a couple of years ago and were approached by town councillor David Ambler, who suggested Liskeard. We went and had a look and it suited us. “We wanted our staff to be able to pop into town for a coffee or to do their shopping. Cornwall Council (who own Westbourne) have been incredibly helpful and supportive of us.“We have a satellite office in Redruth that we will keep: Cornwall is a long county,” he added.Wildanet is already providing the town council with its broadband service, and sponsoring Liskeard Radio. It is “very keen to be a real part of the community” says Ian.Listed building consent has been granted for internal alterations at Westbourne House, to be carried out by the new leasee, while Cornwall Council has agreed to make repairs to the roof of the building. Wildanet says the intention is to preserve the original walls and fabric of the building, including the original main hallway and staircase, but to remove more modern stud walls and take a “funky, modern, stripped back approach” to the interior. Electric car charging points are planned at the site and the company is also looking to install further charging points in the town car park.