TECH NEWS – The Sziget Festival started on Wednesday, one of Europe’s largest light music and cultural events, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Such high-profile events also require strengthening the mobile network to handle the sudden increase in usage. How does a mobile service provider prepare for the adequate network supply of a major periodic event? What is needed to ensure that tens of thousands of people can make phone calls and use the Internet without issues simultaneously, where typically only a few runners and dog walkers are active on weekdays? The official telecommunications partner of the Sziget Festival, Yettel, shares behind the scenes insights.

Óbudai Island is usually a quiet and peaceful place for most of the year, popular among runners, dog walkers, and families. During the Sziget Festival, however, it transforms completely in a few days into a bustling mini-metropolis with visitors from all over the world. People enjoy concerts and programs together 24 hours a day, sharing their experiences in the digital world as well.

In this case, almost a city is built from a network point of view

According to Yettel, to handle the enormous network demand, mobile internet traffic, and calls, serious design work and technical preparation are required in the background. For the Sziget Festival, preparations begin months in advance, creating a network in an area of just over 1 square kilometer that can serve a city the size of Tatabánya, i.e., up to 60-80 thousand people simultaneously. According to Yettel, the data traffic of the festival during these 6 days is comparable to nearly 35 average base stations operating in Budapest, with the stations handling 25 times more data traffic than an average weekday in Budapest. In a normal environment, the capacity of the stations is shared among users, but when tens of thousands of people gather in one area, extra amplification is needed.

Yettel specialists installed 6 new mobile base stations to strengthen the network of the entire festival, in the most popular locations, such as the area in front of the Main Stage. Near the iconic electronic music party venue, the Yettel Colosseum, additional reinforcement ensures coverage and offers the 5G experience this year. According to the service provider, thanks to its international partners, VoLTE roaming is now available in 80 countries, significantly increasing the network’s capacity thanks to voice traffic diverted to 4G, allowing for significantly more simultaneous phone calls. At Sziget, guests visiting from abroad can enjoy VoLTE roaming.

New digital solutions on the Island of Freedom

In the coming years, Yettel will continue to be the official telecommunications partner of the Sziget Festival. As part of this collaboration, one of Europe’s most unique electronic music venues, Yettel Colosseum, was renovated with a special design built from pallets, becoming one of the festival’s most spectacular structures. The mobile service provider is also preparing several solutions and activities, such as mobile charging points and iconic Yettel lime body painting, to make festival-goers’ entertainment easier and even more unforgettable.

This year, a special digital innovation makes the festival experience even more unique; festival-goers can create their own aftermovie with the Yettel Sziget YoMo app. The application allows users to be included in Sziget’s official video and share it on their own platforms. Using artificial intelligence, the app combines the user’s own videos with the festival’s official aftermovie, creating a unique, personalized video every day, featuring the festival-goer with their favorite artists. Completed videos also offer a chance to win on the Island of Freedom; Yettel offers unlimited access and a new mobile phone with its new digital subscription.

Source: Yettel