Over the last 20 years Wifirst has created its WiFi as a Service (WaaS) business model. Providing a service has been in our DNA ever since, as we understand how critical it is to provide a good and reliable product to our customers. By providing a managed WiFi service, we also focus on our customers’ need to focus on their core business, rather than on the connectivity aspects of their building. Trusting the right partner allows operators to focus on what they are good at: bringing people together and facilitating thriving communities that grow under one place to share like-minded ideas. It is our ability to answer coliving operators’ digital transformation challenges that helps them focus on delivering an “at home” feeling and experience that residents are expecting.

‍

A Key Mission: Providing a Network That is Efficient and Durable

Beyond the immediate need of ensuring ultra high- speed connectivity for residents, our role is to support operators who qualify their needs with 10-year projections. Wifirst puts technology and innovation at the service of operators by supporting the digitalisation of the coliving market thanks to a sustainable multiservice WiFi offering.

The added value resides in our know-how and in the software layer built by our R&D teams. With our internal ecosystem of web developers we have been focusing a lot on our open API. By facilitating the integration between different apps and data formats, operators can now automate many tasks for their operations teams. Operators can also connect their PMS for easy access to our WiFi for guests, increasing the customer experience, and avoiding the need for small pieces of paper to be handed out with the login credentials!

Much of the data can be found and connected through our/your API if you already have a dashboard which collects some elements. Alternatively, we have created a customer friendly extranet with a very simple UI / UX platform. Wifirst’s managed WiFi model includes supervision, preventive and corrective maintenance and network upgrades. A unique monitoring platform, Center, is also available to our customers.

The deployment of an “as a service” WiFi solution responds to the digitisation challenges of coliving operators. Until now, most of them were managing their own networks, with heterogeneous protocols in increasingly complex environments. By entrusting the management of all connectivity to Wifirst, they are turning to a service provider that is totally focused on the R&D of WiFi network design, structured to operate a cutting-edge and sustainable service with direct results that include:

• Decreased IT infrastructure costs by 80% 
• Simplified interface contracts and reduced infrastructure complexity
• Reduced carbon footprint (both hardware and energy consumption)
• Increased network service availability and stability 
• Happy residents and support teams

Providing WiFi is easy and anybody could do it. But pleasing both B2B and B2C needs at the same time while improving efficiency for the operators, accelerating their digital transformation and increasing their customer satisfaction is our day-to-day challenge.

‍

‍

Two Ways to Support Ambitious Real Estate Projects

Everybody has different ideas and needs to meet in their experience-driven real estate business, but overall the concept of community remains universal. To maintain flexibility, we have been creating many scenarios to fit many of our clients’ business needs. If the right solution has yet to be created, our team is always striving to evolve and create new features. That said, we have worked with the following companies to support them in their journey of fostering authentic communities:

‍

1. Yes We Camp

Wifirst was chosen by Yes We Camp, a French nonprofit, to manage the connectivity of their Buropolis project, a former office building in Marseille (France) that they converted to accommodate 250 artist and nursing students for a temporary period of 2 years.

Wifirst has deployed a 100% green fiber and WiFi infrastructure in record time, making it possible to quickly open this highly anticipated service to communities that will occupy the various locations of this 16,000 m2 building from June 2021 onwards. It was within our capacity to overcome the challenges of agility and cost control with a solution that respects theenvironment, which led Yes We Camp to select Wifirst.

‍

‍

The infrastructure, put into service in just a few weeks, is indeed based on the use of 100% reconditioned professional equipment with the deployment of a dedicated fiber. Wifirst’s project for Buropolis is in line with the association’s values by offering a second life to 23 Aerohive AP-250 (high density and WiFi 5 generation) terminals that Wifirst had previously used for another client. With our WaaS approach, Yes We Camp is able to offer sustainable WiFi, which will meet the bandwidth needs of all their residents while limiting the ecological impact of the network infrastructure. Raphaël Haziot, in charge of the Buropolis project coordination for Yes We Camp, has shared his thoughts of working with us:

“Excellent experience with Wifirst, whose teams were very professional in all stages of the execution of the project. Bravo for the idea of using reconditioned equipment, which, beyond the undeniable financial benefits, is really in line with the desire for the greener approach carried out by Yes We Camp.”

‍

2. Gravity Co-Living

Gravity Co-Living in Hounslow, London chose Wifirst as their technology partner to provide WiFi, Fibre, and other managed services to its 97 rooms and coworking area at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They understood that coliving operators have to be prepared for an increasingly high density of usage data. With our solution, we can make sure connection speeds are always working well for tenants, anytime throughout the day. We can also accommodate stronger connectivity demands if needed. Thanks to our flexible business model, upgrades to the building’s infrastructure are fast and easy to do. In the near future, Wifirst will also be providing the Hounslow project with digital signage and TVs which will all be fully connected for easier and more accessible communication with their residents.

‍

‍

With its two other projects in the city, Gravity took the initiative of installing and deploying the WiFi services themselves through traditional residential and business routes. These installations are providing its members with good quality WiFi; however, the costs are high; the management is substantially time consuming and the service provided by both traditional residential and business set-ups are not meeting the standards of the enterprise-grade services required to meet Gravity’s’ expectations as they continue to expand quickly in London. Due to this, Gravity asked Wifirst to take over, upgrade, maintain and manage the existing infrastructure, all while reusing the cables and equipment already in place.

The passive equipment, such as cables and cabinets, can last almost a decade if well installed and maintained.

On the other hand, the active equipment (hardware) is still usable and, generally speaking, usable for 5 to 7 years max. In our case, this kind of equipment has been bought pretty recently. This means big savings for the operator and a healthy impact to the environment, creating less waste in the long term. For Wifirst this also means we will have the ability to top up the existing service with new features and products, allowing Gravity to evolve their customer experience and scale it to all their properties. Being a part of the step-by-step process needed to create a WiFi pillar for our clients is Wifirst’s main focus. Robert Birch, Gravity’s Head of Operations has shared their experience working with us saying:

“With our member base being a combination of young professionals, entrepreneurs and students, a high quality, secure, WiFi is expected at a minimum. With Wifirst, not only have they provided this, their continued management and support is priceless! It has freed up the team and I to concentrate on creating a unique culture and community, knowing all our WiFi needs are in safe hands.”

These examples are a good illustration of the market’s diverse needs that drive Wifirst to innovate in order to provide ever more relevant responses to the challenges of digital transformation for coliving professionals: because our solution covers all of the company’s needs and our responsibility for connectivity, this allows our customers to focus on their core business, making dreams come true for coliving communities.

Wifirst’s mission as an operator is thus very clear and essential. Our responsibility is to ensure the best possible connectivity for our customers, a connection strong enough to build a technical base that can accommodate the digital uses of today, but above all, for tomorrow. It is always more pleasant to get up in the morning when your work is part of a process for the overall development of our society!

‍