Case Study: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea achieves PSN-compliant, secure borough-wide flexible Wi‑Fi with HPE Aruba Networking

A Very Royal Appointment Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Crowned Smart Council

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) needed to modernize a traditional, wired office environment to support flexible, mobile working for 2,500 staff and visiting users from partner councils (Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster) while meeting strict Public Services Network (PSN) security requirements. The council faced challenges around legacy desk-bound infrastructure, broad wireless coverage for multiple user groups, secure guest access and auditability, and the need to enable shared tri‑borough services.

Working with Khipu, RBKC deployed an Aruba Wi‑Fi solution—Aruba controllers and AP225 access points, RAP3 remote units, ClearPass Policy Manager and ClearPass Guest plus AirWave management—migrating users from cable to PSN‑compliant wireless. The rollout delivered full office coverage, automated secure guest access, improved throughput and scalability (controller and AP upgrades to support 802.11ac and higher capacity), and enabled seamless mobile and shared tri‑borough working while maintaining compliance and centralized security.

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Russell Hookway

Network and Telecommunications Manager