Before getting started with the crucial role of connectivity solutions in the shared living sector, it is important to go back to the genesis of Wifirst, when we founded in 2002.

At that time, WiFi was only available on large PCMIA cards (Personal Computer Memory Card) and there was no question of mobility yet. Our CEO, Marc Taieb, immediately believed in this disruptive technology that would allow everyone to benefit, wherever they are,from a connection that allows them to communicate and access their personal and professional worlds intuitively and instantly.

Back then, it was impossible to connect to a high- speed wireless internet with your computer on the street. There was no 3G/4G or hotspot. We started by canvassing bars, restaurants and business centers with mixed success. Then we felt a real thrill with our first contract to equip a student residence in Aix en Provence: it was starting, and connections (both physical and digital) immediately took off.

Since then, we have received our first intel certification - the arrival of smartphones (the iPhone in 2007 especially) - and of course, the growing role of technology in our lives which has allowed us to reach very different types of customers. We offer a network capable of absorbing the spectacular increase in internet usage, as well as high added-value services and have been able to make WiFi the technical base of our customers’ digital transformation.

Since this first student residence that we equipped 17 years ago, we have established ourselves as a leading operator for professional Wi-Fi solutions thanks to our “WiFi as a service” approach.

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Wifi as a service (WaAs) by WiFirst since 2002

We manage WiFi from A to Z for our customers; from the WiFi coverage audit, to the installation of equipment through to supervision and maintenance of this equipment. We are now operating WiFi services in over 325k+ student accommodations and 730k+ rooms in the EMEA region.

Before discussing the coliving market in detail, it was important to put our role as a connectivity solutions operator in perspective, especially in the current context: connectivity has never been more important in maintaining social ties and enabling us to work. During the first lockdowns of 2020, half of our 3 million users needed us more than ever.

We enable all businesses to accelerate their digital transformation by providing them with next-generation WiFi capable of connecting all digital equipment and services. Going further, we allow students to follow their lessons by video from their residences, French soldiers to contact their families or even help care home residents fight against isolation.

Wifirst’s mission as an operator is thus very clear and essential: enable all businesses to accelerate their digital transformation by bringing them a next- generation connectivity infrastructure, capable of connecting all digital equipment and services. But what does it mean if we immerse ourselves in the future of shared living?

Beyond the expectation of an internet experience being “like at home” or even “better than at home”, technology is here to help rethink the way we look at real estate - thanks to active and service-based property management - putting community, sharing, pooling and flexibility at the heart of the process. Service logic is the driving force behind this new integrated shared living solution. Indeed, whenstudying the specifics of coliving, it is difficult not to see the similarities with student residences and assisted-living facilities for seniors, concepts that have been well established for many years.

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But can we then consider coliving as a revolution in its own right?

In practice, there are several trends in the development of coliving that can be seen as opportunities for the sector to scale:

• The creation of real coliving residences by traditional real estate players or by alternative residential real estate operators (this is particularly the case of Kley, an operator specialised in student residences, which will open its Urban Village at the end of 2022).

• The transformation of service and hotel residences to integrate the specificities of coliving (at the end of 2018, Nexity Studéa launched the deployment of its new concept of residences for all new openings).

• The alliance of several services in the model of coliving residences combining residential, work-sharing and leisure areas.

• The list of connected services that make it possible to improve the daily life of the elderly, while optimising the working conditions of professionals, is growing in care homes. Video calls, photo sharing, telemedicine, home automation, etc.

All of these trends have one thing in common: they require efficient and secure internet access.

Analysing all of this from another angle, we can also underline that even as a niche segment, coliving is a market full of potential in the coming years, where five key elements stand out: community, lifestyle, mobility, work and cost.

Cost: coliving is a resolutely urban model which relies on the pooling of shared spaces to reduce costs. An integral part of the all-inclusive rent is the WiFi, an element on which property operators can’t compromise. Housing and connectivity have become inseparable, and the trend is unlikely to reverse.

Lifestyle: new trends in content consumption demand ever-greater bandwidth. At the same time, the Internet of Things (IoT) is spreading, turning our homes into ‘Smart Homes’ (e.g. entertainment-related applications such as Smart TVs, Chromecast, bluetooth speakers and smart watches, for example).

Community: with coliving, people can make meaningful connections, gain access to services
that help build flexible lifestyles, create authentic relationships with people and places and generate unique opportunities for their career and personal life.

Mobility: many professionals now work remotely: telecommuting employees, freelancers, creatives, etc. Coliving serves the development of this new form of work, which has been in a phase of rapid expansion these past months.

Work: WiFi connectivity is also a key subject in common areas of coliving residences, especially when they include a coworking space (where bandwidth requirements and user density are generally high).

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This is where the Wifirst service offering comes into play. Our goal is to ensure that our users in shared living accommodations receive an exceptional WiFi service that is both stable and fast. In order to do so, our in-house Research, Development and Innovation teams help the actors of the sector accelerate their digital transformation by building strong network foundations to power services that respond to the new usage of the internet.

In fact, ‘WiFi as a Service’ by Wifirst is also designed to make life easier when it comes to providing a professional WiFi solution. We handle everything from the initial survey, cabling, hardware, data line and ongoing support, and are dedicated to providing continuous R&D support to deliver the best service possible.

Among our in-house innovative products & services, we are especially proud to showcase our ‘Private Area Network’ offer, allowing us to get a Private WiFi like at home. This service is accessible anywhere throughout a whole shared residence, without compromise on security.

In summary, the phenomenon of coliving is a concept that tends to develop throughout our lives: the trend is now emerging globally within our urban and rural environments, even with connected senior living homes, and this is where connectivity providers and professional real estate players have a role to play in shaping our connected future.