The senior living sector is undergoing radical change, with growing needs for connectivity to guarantee quality networks to residents and administrative teams. In December 2024, Zenitude Senior and Stella took over 72 sites formerly operated by Réside Études, requiring a rapid overhaul of their infrastructure. They chose Wifirst to modernise their network and integrate new services.
// CONNECTIVITY CHALLENGES
The transition to a new operating model brought major challenges in rationalising infrastructures and optimising costs. The objective was twofold:
- Unify the network infrastructure to simplify management and reduce operating costs.
- Integrate new services tailored to the specific needs of the new operators, particularly regarding telephony and network security.
// PROJECT CHALLENGES
- Tight deadlines: Only 20 days to define the technical and commercial offer.
- Migration without service interruption: Ensuring a smooth transition before decommissioning existing services.
- Standardisation: Harmonising network equipment across all 72 sites for efficient management.
// WIFIRST'S RESPONSE
To guarantee a modern network infrastructure, Wifirst proposed a converged service offer:
- Managed LAN: Unified WiFi and Ethernet networks for both guest and business use.
- FTTH WAN: Shared fibre connections offering optimised throughput across all sites.
- VoIP Trunk SIP solution: Modernisation of telephony to facilitate internal and external communications.
// DEPLOYMENT OF THE SOLUTION
Phase 1: Strengthening the administrative network
Wifirst set up a dedicated wired network via the customer's firewall and a separate business WiFi network for administrative use in the residences.
Phase 2: Migration to advanced VoIP
Trunk SIP configuration and line porting were finalised in just a few weeks with a gradual migration, ensuring no downtime.
// THE RESULTS
Zenitude Senior and Stella now benefit from a more efficient and secure infrastructure. Unifying equipment has reduced operating costs while the Trunk SIP solution ensures continuity for communications, all delivered without service interruption for residents.
"The deployment of VoIP Trunk SIP and the business network across the entire Stella estate, carried out at the beginning of March, marks a major step in the modernization of our telecom infrastructure and the improvement of the user experience for teams in residence. Thanks to seamless coordination between the technical and operational teams, the switchover to Wifirst IP telephony was carried out without any interruption to service, while providing improved call quality and a significant reduction in costs. This project is a fine example of successful collaboration with concrete benefits for the residences and their occupants."
Jean Duquennoy
Administrative and Financial Manager, Résidences Services Seniors Stella
