The Background
When schools closed in the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown, they needed to keep homebound students connected to their studies—without exposing them to web-based threats. Over 55,000 students needed to stay connected to their education with protected, adaptive 4G connectivity.
The challenge
When the home became the new classroom, underprivileged students were left without devices or connectivity to continue their education, with some schools reporting up to 24% of their students were without internet access. Our supplier was tasked with finding a solution to combat digital poverty while upholding their safeguarding policies and meeting Internet Watch Foundation regulations to keep students safe from adult content and malware. All in two weeks.
The solution
They combined 4G routers, unsteered Multi-network SIMs, and mobile content filter to create a solution that would get students connected wherever they were, with AI monitoring websites accessed and blocking web-based threats. Time was of the essence and educations were at stake—which meant round-the-clock development and sleepless nights for the whole team. Finance, operations, and directors pulled together to deliver over 55,000 services within days, provision the SIMs with same-day delivery, and integrate the content filter onto their network.
The Result
UK students were kept connected to teachers, school friends, and the resources vital to their education. All with smart network-level protection that goes beyond industry lists of known malicious websites.
