By Alastair Mullens, Managing Director, Residential, Canary Wharf Group
I can’t help but feel that we’re doing something fundamentally right. When we started to think about our resident experience at Vertus, Canary Wharf Group’s residential leasing business, we set the bar at a ‘premium’ communal experience.
If you’ve seen how we’ve structured our Vertus buildings, like 10 George Street and 8 Water Street (pictured), it’s about a shared community and amenity space, which is central to the resident experience.
We always knew that internet connectivity had to live up to the same standard as our buildings, amenities and the lifestyle we promise residents. Not just in individual apartments, but throughout lounges, co-working spaces, gyms, lift lobbies and even market zones.
One of the smartest moves we’ve made was integrating our Wifinity WiFi on-boarding process with our Mews PMS system in our Vertus Edit aparthotels (3 and 15 West Lane). The moment someone checks in, they get a personalised WiFi password sent to them. No friction with passwords. It means they’re online, everywhere, as soon as they walk through the door, which sets the tone immediately, whether someone is staying just a few nights or moving in for a longer-term.
We also took a future-proof approach to the network itself. It means that we didn’t just drop in a basic circuit. Wifinity deployed primary circuits in each building and then cross-linked them, so if one goes down, traffic automatically reroutes. That’s an infrastructure investment that should see us well years down the line.
For our teams and building management companies, they can attach their platforms and apps to the network, and we’re seeing the network as a way to unlock operational intelligence. An example is our integration with Utopi sensors, so we’re able to collect real-time data on environmental conditions and energy use. That kind of insight helps us operate smarter and supports our sustainability.
Going back to that ‘premium experience’, this goes all the way down to the hardware we need. When we hit full occupancy across our three inaugural developments – 10 George Street, 8 Water Street and Newfoundland – it underlined how much demand there is for high-quality, connected living.
In Vertus units, we’re talking residents that use multiple smart devices, and our shared areas see pretty heavy footfall and a lot of remote workers. We’ve hidden the access points in our design, but we’re using Ruckus Networks because they can handle high densities, avoid congestion and keep things smooth.
If I were giving advice to other developers, I’d say to treat your connectivity strategy like you treat your architectural design or amenity mix. Think long-term. Invest in quality hardware. Make onboarding effortless. And build a network that supports the way people live, work and socialise in the community you’re creating.
As I said, I think we’ve done the right thing. Connectivity is part of how communities function, how buildings operate and how residents feel at home. That is what modern rental living should be.
This article was previously published in BE News, February 2026.