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News
Latest news, insights and industry updates from Friendly WiFi and the sectors we support.
Stay up to date with the latest from Friendly WiFi and the wider digital safety and connectivity sector. Explore our latest news, insights and updates, including Friendly WiFi developments, certification announcements, client stories and useful advice, alongside blogs discussing online safety, public WiFi and emerging digital trends. You can also discover industry-focused articles covering developments, challenges and innovation across the sectors we support. Use the filters below to browse News, Blog and Industry Blog content and quickly find the updates most relevant to you.
Beyond Uptime: How 5G is Transforming Retail from Resilient to Intelligent
In a recent article, we explored how 5G connectivity is helping retailers stay online keeping payments flowing, operations running, and customer experiences uninterrupted when fixed-line connections fail. But resilience is just the starting point. As retailers stabilise connectivity with 5G, the opportunity shifts from simply staying online to building smarter, faster, and more adaptive retail environments. From Backup to Business Enabler Failover connectivity was once viewed
Apr 73 min read
Powering Retail Resilience: How 5G Connectivity Is Keeping Stores Online
In today’s retail landscape, connectivity is no longer just part of the infrastructure — it is the infrastructure. From processing transactions to enabling digital experiences, modern retail environments depend on reliable, always-on connectivity. When networks fail, the impact is immediate — affecting revenue, operations, and customer experience all at once. As a result, retailers are increasingly prioritising resilience as a core part of their connectivity strategy. The Gro
Mar 253 min read
Children’s Health Ireland Sets a New Standard for Digital Safety Across Five Hospital Locations with Friendly WiFi Certification
Image: Aerial view of the new children’s hospital in Dublin | Credit: Image courtesy of Arup Dublin, Ireland — Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is raising the bar for digital wellbeing in healthcare by achieving Friendly WiFi certification across five hospital locations, including its new National Children’s Hospital in Dublin ahead of its opening, creating safer online environments for children, families, and visitors at some of Ireland’s busiest healthcare sites. Children’s
Mar 183 min read
Invisible Protection, Visible Reassurance
In today’s connected world, public and guest WiFi has become an essential service. From cafés and shopping centres to libraries, transport hubs, and family attractions, organisations provide internet access to enhance the visitor experience. But with that convenience comes responsibility — ensuring that the connection people are using, particularly where children may be present, is safe. This is where the Friendly WiFi Safety Assurance Standard plays a vital role. What Is th
Mar 124 min read
Supporting Safe and Reliable Connectivity for Schools with Calix
Reliable internet access has become a fundamental part of modern education. From digital classrooms and online learning platforms to collaboration tools and cloud-based resources, connectivity now sits at the heart of how students learn and how educators teach. Solutions such as Calix Internet for Schools are helping broadband providers and communities deliver the connectivity that schools need to support today’s digital learning environments. By combining high-performance br
Mar 123 min read
How Robustel’s Site Survey Tool Helps Identify the Best 4G/5G Network for Your Deployment
When deploying public WiFi, IoT infrastructure, or smart connectivity solutions, one question always comes up: “Which mobile network works best at this site?” For years, installers and network engineers have relied on signal strength measurements or manual testing to try and answer that question. However, in modern 4G and 5G environments, signal strength alone doesn’t tell the full story. A new capability from Robustel aims to change that. Introducing Site Survey in Smart Roa
Mar 114 min read
Public WiFi Safety at Visitor Attractions
Providing Visible Reassurance for Families and Young Visitors Across the UK, visitor attractions are increasingly providing public WiFi as part of the overall guest experience. From theme parks and zoos to museums, adventure parks and heritage destinations, connectivity has become an expected part of a modern day out. Visitors frequently use WiFi to access digital information, share experiences on social media, or stay connected with family and friends while on site. As a res
Mar 93 min read
Why Holiday Parks Are Leading the Way in Safe Public WiFi for Families
Holiday parks have long been places where families come together to relax, explore and spend quality time away from everyday life. Across the UK and Europe, many parks welcome thousands of families each week, with guests spending extended periods of time on site across accommodation, restaurants, leisure facilities and public spaces. In recent years, public WiFi has become an important part of that visitor experience. Whether guests are checking activity bookings, sharing hol
Mar 63 min read
Why Safe Public WiFi is Becoming Essential for Leisure and Fitness Venues
Across the UK, leisure and fitness venues have evolved far beyond simply being places to work out. Today’s leisure centres and health clubs are community and family spaces where people spend significant time — exercising, socialising, relaxing, and often working remotely. For organisations that have already started this journey, completing the approval process is often a straightforward step that brings additional reassurance, governance visibility, and public confidence — w
Mar 54 min read
The NSPCC’s Latest Report on Harmful Online Content – Why Safer Public WiFi Matters More Than Ever
In February 2026, the NSPCC published a major new briefing: The Impact of Harmful Online Content on Children . Drawing on real Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline contacts, the report provides powerful insight into what children and young people are experiencing online today — and the emotional impact it is having. The findings are clear. Harmful online content is not an occasional issue — it is a daily reality for many children. Harmful Online Content - the Sca
Mar 23 min read
Why Industrial-Grade Connectivity Matters for Public and Critical Networks
In many environments, connectivity is no longer a convenience — it is a dependency. Public services, transport systems, utilities, retail estates, and smart infrastructure increasingly rely on continuous network access to function safely and effectively. Yet not all connectivity is created equal. While consumer-grade networking equipment may be sufficient in low-risk, low-demand settings, it is rarely designed to operate reliably in public, remote, harsh, or mission-critical
Feb 134 min read
Supporting Safer Internet Day 2026: Helping Keep Children and Young People Safe Online
Tuesday 10 February 2026 marks Safer Internet Day , a nationwide campaign that brings together schools, families, organisations, and communities to promote a safer and more positive online world for children and young people. At Friendly WiFi , we are proud to be a registered supporter of Safer Internet Day and to play our part in raising awareness of the importance of online safety across public spaces. Why Safer Internet Day matters Safer Internet Day is an opportunity to
Feb 52 min read
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