Wildanet Delivers New Broadband Connection for Cornwall Air Ambulance

Lifesaving tech upgrade delivered by Cornish provider Wildanet

Cornwall Air Ambulance has revealed how a major broadband upgrade is helping save lives across the region – not just in the air, but on the ground too.

The charity, which provides critical pre-hospital emergency care across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, recently switched to Cornish broadband provider Wildanet. The move has delivered fast, reliable connectivity across the charity’s helicopter base, headquarters and network of shops.

Vital support for lifesaving care

Set up more than 38 years ago, Cornwall Air Ambulance covers some of the UK’s most rugged and remote locations. Reaching patients by helicopter can often be the only way to save lives – but smooth operations on the ground are just as vital.

Joel Henthorn, Data and Insights Manager for the charity, said the upgrade has made a real difference:
“Prior to working with Wildanet, we were with a single provider and we had very little choice. Moving to Wildanet, that’s all changed. I really feel like they’ve got our back. They’ve provided the right solutions for reliable and fast connectivity across all of our sites.
Having the really reliable and fast connectivity is helping us deliver our goal of gold standard stewardship to all the people that support the charity, helping everyone feel a bit more connected to the mission.”

Retail network benefits too

Wildanet also supported the charity during the opening of its new shop in Wadebridge. Lisa Pompa, Retail Store Manager, explained how important internet connectivity is behind the scenes:
“Our shops are a vital part of the Trust and the face of the charity. Wildanet were really supportive during the transition into the new shop and they worked closely with us to ensure all our needs were met.
It has made a huge difference to how we process stock, research prices and carry out customer transactions. Without good internet, we wouldn’t be able to do any of that and by providing that reliable, fast technology it has enabled us to run the shop really well and be very successful.”

Supporting events and community outreach

The partnership has also extended to Helifest, one of the charity’s flagship annual events. Wildanet deployed mobile Wi-Fi to support payment services and connectivity for trade stalls and organisers.

Julia Jeffery, Corporate Partnerships Manager for Cornwall Air Ambulance, praised the collaboration:
“Cornwall Air Ambulance is really important for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, so I’m always really proud to work with a local company that’s equally looking to give back.
It’s been amazing working with such a committed and supportive team at Wildanet who are clearly dedicated also to giving back to the local community. They’ve enabled us to get our high-speed internet right the way across our shops and HQ. It has been a great partnership working with Wildanet; very people-oriented – with a can-do attitude – and the customer service has been brilliant.”

Local company backing local charity

Wildanet’s Business Development Manager, James Bennett, said:
“I think it’s important for Wildanet, as a Cornish company, to be supporting Cornish business and a hugely important local charity like Cornwall Air Ambulance.
It’s about how can we deliver the services to the Air Ambulance that supports them going forward, make savings where it’s possible, but enhancing their ability to work with their customers and deliver this fantastic service.
There’s always challenges when you’re trying to use existing infrastructure and we’ve just adapted and made sure we kept our focus and delivered what we said we were going to deliver and I am very proud to be part of that.”

Part of a wider digital upgrade for Cornwall

Wildanet, headquartered in Liskeard, is playing a key role in Cornwall and Devon’s digital transformation. As part of Project Gigabit – the UK government’s broadband upgrade – the company is delivering Full Fibre broadband to over 37,000 premises across Cornwall.

The new connection for Cornwall Air Ambulance is another example of how this digital investment is benefiting local communities and critical services.