8 minute read | 13/05/2024
With SPARK® Connect, our comprehensive WiFi solution, we provide our customers with the added benefit of Friendly WiFi certification, assuring them that their end users can enjoy a secure online experience. Our commitment to Friendly WiFi dates back to 2018, showcasing our dedication to ensuring a safe internet environment for all.
Friendly WiFi is a government-initiated certification that shows a public WiFi network is safe for all users, regardless of age. The initiative was launched by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, with the aim of ensuring public WiFi would be filtered for inappropriate or explicit content. Networks meeting the requirements are awarded an easy to recognise symbol that assures the public the WiFi is safe for all users.
Friendly WiFi filters content such as:
Parents can let their children use public internet access with the Friendly WiFi Logo and have peace of mind that they’re protected while online.
While not compulsory, having a Friendly WiFi certified network is highly beneficial for businesses. It encourages people to use the WiFi, allowing businesses to then utilise that connection for features like loyalty schemes and data analytics.
The health and wellbeing of visitors is your responsibility, and this extends to their online safety. By choosing a WiFi provider that’s committed to Friendly WiFi, you’ll be implementing a service that’s safe and secure for children and young people to use. It shows you’re committed to your visitors’ wellbeing and provide a service the whole family can enjoy.
Since 2018, SPARK TSL has been a certified Friendly WiFi provider. This gives customers the option to include Friendly WiFi in our WiFi provision through SPARK® Connect. This additional content filtering is covered in the Managed Service Fee which comes with it’s own pool of extensive benefits. We understand the importance of safe internet browsing for all, making this partnership a no brainer.
SPARK TSL has over a decade of experience delivering WiFi solutions from Marina’s to trainlines, retail and event buildings to name a few. Throughout this time, SPARK TSL has connected millions of users to the internet securely, compliantly and safely.
“The easily recognisable Friendly WiFi symbol allows businesses to provide global assurance to their customers that the WiFi that they are using has been correctly filtered. By providing a Friendly WiFi option to its customers, SPARK TSL is enabling businesses across the retail, leisure and transport sectors to ensure that the WiFi services they provide are safe for children and young people.” Beverley Smith, Director at Friendly WiFi.
As a high profile destination, safe WiFi was a necessary feature for the London Legacy Development Corporation when looking for a WiFi supplier for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. They wanted to make sure that families, schools and other visitors would know that ‘adult content’ was being filtered out across their 560-acres of open-space WiFi coverage, while also ensuring that the service was free, inclusive and easily accessible.
“The Friendly WiFi scheme reassures us that all of our Park users and in particular our younger visitors, can feel safe when connecting to our free WiFi service. We have coverage across most of the open areas in the Park and also inside some of the venues so it’s very important to ensure that people are protected throughout the entire network.” Ben Edmonds, IT Programme Manager for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
SPARK TSL has also been instrumental in helping Chiltern Railways develop its Friendly WiFi proposition as part of its innovative, continually connected passenger journey, whilst ensuring that the experience was a safe for Chiltern’s passengers.
As part of SPARK TSL’s managed service, Chiltern Railways experienced the benefits of its filtering service which already meets Friendly WiFi’s requirements, therefore making the Friendly WiFi certification process straightforward and painless.
“As an approved Friendly WiFi vendor, we are thrilled to be able to offer Friendly WiFi to our customers as part of our continued commitment to the online safety of children and young people. With premium filtering already available which meets Friendly WiFi requirements as part of our managed service, we are pleased to be able to offer our customers a service that is certified safe and suitable to use by all members of the public. Such is the importance of this scheme we have made the decision to absorb the cost and not pass it on to our clients, enabling them to roll it out to consumers as soon as they can.” Matt O’Donovan, CEO of SPARK TSL.
The provision of Friendly WiFi is just one of the benefits of choosing SPARK® Connect as your WiFi solution. Learn more about the market leading WiFi platform.
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