Bude Is About to Get the Fastest Broadband in Cornwall

Anyone in Bude who has ever watched a video buffer at the worst possible moment is going to want to read this.

The town is set to become one of the best-connected places in the South West, with full fibre broadband arriving for more than 2,000 homes and businesses for the first time.

Cornish broadband provider Wildanet is bringing its ultra-fast full fibre network to Bude, giving residents and businesses access to speeds of up to 2Gbps. That puts it amongst the fastest available anywhere in the UK and ends years of reliance on slower, less reliable connections.

Who gets connected and when

When the work is finished, 2,318 homes and businesses will be connected across Bude, Stratton and surrounding villages including Hersham, Grimscott and Marhamchurch.

The rollout is already under way, with the first properties being connected now. The project is expected to be completed by late summer, with connections going live on a phased basis as the network is built out.

The work is funded through a combination of the UK Government’s Project Gigabit programme and Wildanet’s own investment.

For families juggling streaming, remote working, gaming and online learning across multiple devices, the difference will be immediate. For local businesses, it opens up digital opportunities that simply weren’t possible before.

A Cornish company doing the work

Wildanet is headquartered in Liskeard and runs locally based customer service teams. The Bude expansion builds on a wider full fibre rollout that has already enabled more than 50,000 connections across Cornwall and Devon, through a mix of private investment and publicly funded schemes.

Simon Hughes, Wildanet’s Chief Commercial Officer, said bringing Cornwall’s fastest broadband to Bude was a significant milestone for the company and the community.

“This expansion is about more than just faster speeds,” Simon said. “It is about giving the town and its residents the reliable, future-proofed digital infrastructure they need in everyday life and work.

“Through a combination of our own investment and Project Gigabit support we are continuing to deliver high-quality connectivity to communities that have historically been underserved. Bude is a vibrant and growing town and, as Cornwall’s homegrown broadband provider, we’re excited and proud to be supporting its future connectivity needs.”

What the politicians said

UK Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd said the government was working with Wildanet to boost local economies in Cornwall and beyond.

“This is about more than faster internet,” Liz said. “With reliable, high-speed connectivity people can build businesses, apply for better jobs and stay connected with the people and services that matter to them.”

Ben Maguire, MP for North Cornwall, said the news was fantastic for Bude and the surrounding area, adding that many constituents had reached out to him about poor connectivity.

“For years, North Cornwall has been at a disadvantage when it comes to digital connectivity, missing out on opportunities that people in cities and larger towns in other parts of our country take for granted. Full fibre broadband of this quality changes that,” Ben said.

He said having Cornwall’s fastest broadband locally put Bude firmly on the map, calling it good news for local businesses looking to grow and farmers filling out increasingly online forms and applications.

“I’m delighted that Wildanet, a Cornish company, is bringing this service, and I’m excited to see the difference it makes to residents and businesses alike. This is a really important step in making sure the Duchy is connected, competitive, and ready for the future.”

As construction progresses, residents and businesses can register their interest and check availability through Wildanet’s Bude page.