IntechnologyWiFi
Enabling Free and Seamless Public WiFi

‘Smart city’ is the current buzzword in urban development. With the demand for connected devices and systems increasing unprecedentedly, municipal councils are tasked with the responsibility of bridging the connectivity gaps to enable future smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The typical ‘hotspot’ approach adopted by most cities often results in an underwhelming user experience owing to its patchy coverage. Taking cognizance of the sporadic coverage of WiFi hotspots, Peter Wilkinson—a renowned British entrepreneur and a technology visionary—set out to revolutionize public WiFi.

Wilkinson’s vision to free end users from subpar connectivity led to the inception of IntechnologyWiFi—a specialist in providing blanket and seamless WiFi connectivity—which is being steered by Natalie Duffield today, a dynamic and inspiring leader. “IntechnologyWiFi provides a best-in-class, seamless, and free public WiFi service through the use of blanket networking technology to cover an entire town or city center area,” says Duffield, CEO, IntechnologyWiFi.

IntechnologyWiFi’s core strength emanates from its Connected City Platform—built to provide seamless connectivity and the foundation for a host of complementary digital services to power the smart cities of tomorrow, today. These services include an LPWAN network allied to the WiFi connectivity to power IoT services; a lifestyle mobile application platform; a data analytics engine, and the readiness for small cells and 5G, together with several brand activation and innovation partnership opportunities.

The synergistic combination of high-density WiFi and enterprise-grade LPWAN network provides the seamless (and blanket) coverage across the city. The LPWAN element creates a platform for smart cities and IoT technologies to support the efficient delivery of public services—ubiquitous, future-proof connectivity to empower tomorrow’s cities. The mobile application platform can access content from numerous content providers to enable lifestyle services for public, and provide a hub for activating future smart services.

The analytics engine provides insights into citizens’ interactions over WiFi networks, together with real-time information from connected devices to help local authorities deliver cleaner, greener, healthier, efficient, and sustainable towns and cities. Small cells augment the capacity of overburdened mobile networks, preparing cities for the 5G future.

The deployment of the Connected City Platform in the public domain, after winning a public tender, typically involves a survey of the targeted area by expert engineers, before creating an installation plan for the WiFi and LPWAN network infrastructure. Subsequently, IntechnologyWiFi works with the local authority to access public infrastructure like the buildings, following which the company calls upon its in-house team of highly skilled and experienced engineers to install the infrastructure.

Duffield mentions that once deployed, the public WiFi element is always on and available for users within the coverage area, free of cost, with no restrictions on the duration of usage or bandwidth. She further adds that “the service creates widespread economic opportunities for individuals and businesses to participate in the digital economy.”

Connected City Platform was leveraged by The City of Edinburgh Council in December 2016, to provide high-speed internet connectivity to an area of 1.5 square miles in the Scottish capital’s central regions. The project was a challenge as the area was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but IntechnologyWiFi succeeded in installing the network with utmost care and sensitivity. IntechnologyWiFi was also chosen as the official communications partner for Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay 2016/2017 festival and engaged with multiple partners to create a memorable, digitally shared experience for millions.

The blanket WiFi service of IntechnologyWiFi also saves end users from expensive data plans, in sync with the expectations of the digital age. The company allows local authorities, businesses, and consumers to connect with its Connected City Platform and engage directly with each other. Duffield sums up the company’s value proposition by calling it IntechnologyWiFi’s way of catalyzing the digital revolution.