This summer I went to Reading Festival and rocked out to Blink-182 but was surprised by how much I needed a festival feature that wasn’t a thing the last time I was there.
That was way back in 2007 and I was using a Sony Ericsson K750 which didn’t even support 3G (look it up). Back then, networks would easily get overloaded with the amount of people trying to use them at events like Reading.
We would rely on old school SMS text messages or phone calls, if we could get through, to find each other after buying overpriced rounds of beers.
There was no Wi-Fi available on site then, but things are different now. As the official connectivity partner of Reading Festival, Three invited me along to check it out and I was surprised by how much I needed the connectivity.
Rather than only relying on its existing network coverage, Three deployed three temporary macro sites, equipped with full 4G and 5G spectrum, to supplement the festival site.
“These provided the extra capacity required so that our customers had a very good experience when using their devices,” said Three.
Find out the 5 gadgets I took to Reading Festival and one I deemed unsafe.
Chris Martin / Foundry
As well as a number of charging stations dotted around the arena, Three also has its own viewing platform of the main stage with its own Wi-Fi. This connected to the 5G provided by the temporary sites and custom network created by its Home 5G broadband hubs and 6 Wi-Fi connection points.
The speed test I conducted on the platform came back with speeds of 112Mbps download and 61.1Mbps upload. Plenty of bandwidth for anything I needed to do, from downloading apps to video calling – should I have wanted to – and more than double the average mobile download speed and eight times the upload speed in the UK, according to Speedtest .
And Three’s viewing platform isn’t just open to guests. Customers can use it for free with a plus one, so even if you’re not currently a Three customer, it’s worth grabbing a SIM-only deal for festival season to gain access. Once you’ve got the Wi-Fi password you should be able to access it from nearby.
Not only did the platform provide a decent viewpoint for the main stage (see above, although it looks better in real life) when I didn’t fancy being in the throng of the crowd but it also provided respite for my ageing legs with comfy seating. Plus, it also had its own bar, free wired and wireless charging and DJ, making it one of the places to be between sets.
Three also supports festivals such as Isle of White, Wireless, Latitude, Parklife and TRNSMT, so it’s worth checking out what perks you can get beyond Wi-Fi. It’s common for music festivals to be supported by networks as Vodafone supports the likes of Glastonbury, Boardmasters and Kendal Calling.
Author: Chris Martin, Managing Editor, Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor Managing Editor Chris got his break as a reporter at infamous site The Inquirer and has been with us for more than 12 years. With a BA degree in Music Technology, audio is his specialism, but over the years he has reviewed all kinds of gadgets, from smartwatches to mesh Wi-Fi to coffee machines.
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