LONDON, 22 June 2026 – 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, this week. June has also seen 90,000 devices connect to the network as resident take-up grows.
Designed to support the resident experience across England’s largest estate of later living communities, 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 have 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.”
Anchor now has 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 Anchor, it marks another step towards providing a more connected and inclusive digital experience for residents and staff.
The remaining properties are scheduled to be completed by June 2027.
***
About Anchor: Anchor began more than 60 years ago and today is England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for people in later life. It provides housing to rent and to buy and residential care homes, including specialist dementia care. In total, Anchor serves more than 65,000 residents in almost 55,000 homes across almost 1,700 locations. Its residential care services employ the majority of the 10,000-strong workforce, providing services to residents at more than 120 care homes. Anchor operates in more than 85% of local councils in England. Anchor is an accredited real Living Wage employer – a mark of recognition awarded by the Living Wage Foundation.
About Wifinity: Based in London and founded in 2007, Wifinity designs, installs and runs managed internet services and WiFi solutions for businesses and consumers. It serves customers in defence, holiday parks, central and local government, social housing, later living and offshore venues. Wifinity is trusted to deliver managed services that keep people connected.