- O2 has upgraded its mobile network at Allianz Stadium to bring enhanced 5G connectivity to spectators in readiness for this year’s Six Nations Championship
- Fans will now experience fast 5G service throughout the stadium delivered using a state-of-the-art 5G distributed antenna system (DAS), specifically designed to improve the reliability of O2’s 5G signal
- With 34 dedicated 5G zones, this deployment becomes the largest 5G deployment at any stadium in the UK to date
- Priority members can enhance their matchday experience with a host of benefits including exclusive access to the O2 Blueroom and discounted merchandise at the official on-site store
O2 customers are now benefitting from a major mobile connectivity upgrade at the Allianz Stadium (formerly Twickenham), after the operator delivered a dedicated 5G network to the venue ahead of this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
Fans that attended England’s first home fixture of the tournament against France last weekend were the first to benefit from the new network, which carried 40% more data than the previous Autumn International fixture that took place at the stadium.
The operator’s investment introduces a brand new bespoke 5G distributed antenna system (DAS) network, which is dedicated solely to providing reliable 5G coverage to supporters inside the stadium. Fans will benefit from improved reliability and faster speeds, even during periods of high demand, making it easier to share exciting moments from the game and navigate digital ticketing and payment seamlessly.
With its 34 dedicated 5G coverage zones serving the stadium bowl, O2 believes this is the highest capacity DAS stadium deployment in the UK. The unprecedented capacity is set to transform the matchday experience allowing O2 customers to seamlessly upload photos, stream match highlights and stay connected even at stadium capacity attendance.
Jonathan Conn, RFU Digital Technology Director said: “Providing the very best matchday experience at Allianz Stadium is a top priority for us and that includes our fans’ ability to stay connected. In an increasingly digital world, the O2 upgrade will significantly enhance connectivity for fans who want to be able to share images, view content and keep in touch with friends and family throughout the day.”
Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering, at O2 said: “With more than 80,000 fans attending Allianz Stadium on matchdays, games like the Six Nations create a huge demand for data and place increased strain on mobile networks inside and outside of the stadium. Our new dedicated stadium network is designed to deal with this by providing a huge capacity boost to O2 customers inside the stadium and minimising matchday disruption to our customers in the surrounding areas.”
“We believe this upgrade marks the largest deployment of 5G at any stadium in the UK offering O2 customers at this year’s Six Nations Championship a new level of connectivity and making their matchday experience more immersive and interactive than ever before.”
Simon Frumkin, CEO at Freshwave, said: “We’ve worked with Virgin Media O2 in the Allianz Stadium since before the 2012 Olympics. It has a unique mobile connectivity system, the first of its kind from a technical perspective. So, working with Virgin Media O2’s engineers to upgrade it and enable the UK’s largest 5G stadium-based network deployment has been fantastic.”
These upgrades are part of Virgin Media O2’s broader network upgrade strategy. The operator is investing £2 million every single day to future-proof its mobile network and meet the increasing demands of customers for seamless connectivity.
The award-winning historic partnership between O2 and the Rugby Football Union (RFU) brings with it a host of further benefits for customers on matchday and beyond. Priority members can enjoy exclusive access to O2 Blueroom where they can enjoy pre-match festivities as well as discounts at the on-site official store to purchase the latest squad kit and more.
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