Anchor and Wifinity reach milestone with 1,000 connected properties

Residents at 1,000 Anchor properties are now connected to Wifinity’s new managed WiFi service, with the remaining properties due to be completed within the next year. The milestone was celebrated at the 1,000th community, Lingwell Mews in Leeds. June has also seen 90,000 devices connect to the network as resident take-up grows. 

Designed to support the resident experience, the award-winning digital inclusion programme delivers a reliable, easy-to-use WiFi network for resident and staff devices, online service access, digital entertainment and video calls to friends and family.

The joint programme team announced that 750 properties were live ahead of schedule in January this year. More sites have now had legacy technology replaced with the secure, scalable managed service. Joint planning, solution design and a consistent delivery approach across the mixed estate has seen rollout move smoothly with minimal disruption for residents and staff.

Kerry Edmondson, Anchor’s Director of Technology and Data, said:

Reaching the milestone of 1,000 Anchor properties connected to WiFi through our Connected Properties programme with Wifinity marks a significant achievement in our partnership, helping residents stay connected with family and friends and supporting positive living in later life. Importantly, this is about more than connectivity alone – over the past year, we have delivered 5,295 digital inclusion interactions, working alongside Wifinity Engagement Representatives to help residents get online, build confidence and develop their digital skills.

Our Be Well services have also continued to make a meaningful difference to residents’ lives. Over the past year, we supported 14,921 interactions, helping residents to stay active, connected and engaged, while building skills and confidence. This is reflected in an overall satisfaction rate of 96%.

Through our work with Wifinity, we are also enabling our colleagues to better support residents, with faster access to the infrastructure they need to deliver high-quality services in an increasingly digital world.

Setting the bar for connectivity in later living, the project has received industry recognition as the winner or shortlisted entry for several awards from the Retirement Living Awards, Laing Buisson and ISPAs in 2025. 

Jennie Francis, Chief Transformation Officer, Wifinity said:

Our role goes far beyond delivering WiFi. We’re helping to build the digital foundation that transforms how later living communities operate and thrive. From enabling residents to access new services that support wellbeing and independence, to giving Anchor the tools to streamline compliance, optimise property management and unlock significant time and cost efficiencies, this programme is about driving meaningful, long-term change. It’s truly transformational.

We now have a centralised system to manage connectivity across its estates, giving it better visibility and control. Supported by Wifinity’s Network Operations Centre (NOC), the network offers reliable performance, quick issue resolution and the flexibility to scale.

This milestone highlights Wifinity’s ability to deliver managed connectivity across complex, multi-site environments in later living and care settings. For us, it marks another step towards providing a more connected and inclusive digital experience for residents and colleagues.

The remaining properties are scheduled to be completed by June 2027.