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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.
Delivering Safe, Scalable Guest Wi-Fi Across Multi-Site Estates
Guest Wi-Fi has become an expected service across almost every customer-facing environment. From hotels and retail parks to hospitals, care settings, leisure venues, and education campuses, visitors increasingly assume they will be able to connect easily, reliably, and safely. For organisations operating multiple sites, however, delivering guest Wi-Fi consistently at scale presents a unique set of challenges. Performance, security, compliance, and user experience must be main
Apr 145 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
Newcastle City Council Expands Public WiFi with Friendly WiFi Certification
We are excited to announce our collaboration with Newcastle City Council as they embark on an ambitious project to expand their public WiFi network. Recognising the importance of digital connectivity, the Council is extending its WiFi services beyond public buildings to encompass numerous outdoor spaces throughout the city. This expansion aims to enhance connectivity for residents, workers, and visitors, ensuring that everyone can stay connected, no matter where they are in N
Jul 2, 20252 min read
Strengthening Public WiFi Safety: Supporting Ofcom’s Online Safety Initiative
Ofcom has today released its second Online Safety Industry Bulletin, marking a significant milestone in the UK's commitment to creating a safer digital environment. With the Online Safety Act now in effect, the focus has shifted towards implementing measures that protect users, particularly children, from harmful online content. As a provider of public and guest WiFi services, it's imperative to align with these developments by ensuring robust content filtering solutions are
May 27, 20252 min read
Is Your Public WiFi Safe? Understanding the Online Safety Act and the Role of Friendly WiFi Certification
In today’s always-connected world, ensuring the safety of public WiFi is more important than ever. With the introduction of the Online Safety Act 2023, the UK has set a clear standard for protecting users from harmful online content, especially children and vulnerable people. Businesses and organisations that offer public WiFi have a valuable role to play in supporting these national safety goals by ensuring their networks are responsibly filtered. Friendly WiFi certification
May 14, 20253 min read
St Edmundsbury Cathedral Achieves Friendly WiFi Certification
We are thrilled to announce that St Edmundsbury Cathedral has been Friendly WiFi certified. What is Friendly WiFi? Friendly WiFi is a government-initiated safe certification standard for public WiFi. It ensures that WiFi services meet minimum filtering standards, especially in areas where children are present. St Edmundsbury Cathedral now proudly displays the Friendly WiFi symbol, assuring visitors of a secure online experience. Why Safe WiFi Matters in Cathedrals: Community
Apr 29, 20242 min read
Sunderland joins the growing family of Friendly WiFi towns and cities
Sunderland City Council via their smart city infrastructure, has expanded their WiFi network, providing great access across the region to residents and visitors. They have been committed to providing a more reliable and superfast service, and have recently achieved this via their strategic partnership with BAI Communications (BAI). Friendly WiFi worked with the council and their partner BAI, throughout the project, as they recognised the importance of not only providing a su
May 31, 20233 min read
Leighton Buzzard introduces Friendly WiFi Certified Free WiFi to the High Street
Leighton-Linslade is the latest town council to take the online safety of its visitors and residents seriously, by having its new free town centre public WiFi services certified by Friendly WiFi. The ‘Friendly WiFi’ logo will assure WiFi users that the free service, which launched on 2nd January has reached an industry-standard level of content filtering and that access to pornography and child abuse websites, videos and images is blocked. Leighton-Linslade Town Council, su
Jan 16, 20202 min read
Newport public WiFi gets official stamp of approval for being ‘family friendly’
Mark Lowe, Strategic Director at Pinacl & Jo Evans Digital Project Officer at Newport City Council Newport City Council’s free public WiFi has been awarded a government-recognised certification that proves its network is safe for children and young people, it was announced today (June 27, 2017). Public WiFi has been available across Council buildings since 2015 and around the City Centre since 2016 to around 6,000 users each month – with 500 new or repeat users every day.
Jun 27, 20173 min read
Taunton Deane goes Friendly WiFi
People in three key towns in Taunton Deane can now enjoy open and unlimited Wi-Fi thanks to a Taunton Deane Borough Council initiative. The authority has spent the last few months working with one of the country’s leading experts, Pinacl, to get Taunton, Wellington and Wiveliscombe, digitally connected. Residents and visitors will be able to use the new Wi-Fi 24 hours a day, seven days a week via their social media accounts. There is no charge or subscription fee. Those
Feb 27, 20173 min read
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