Visitors of the Tomorrowland festival used 20% more mobile data compared to last year
The mobile data traffic recorded during the main summer festivals and events continues to increase strongly year after year. During the two weekends of Tomorrowland alone, the Proximus network recorded an increase in mobile data traffic of 20% compared to last year. For music fans unable to obtain tickets, Proximus provides footage of the best concerts of the Belgian festivals on their television, computer or smartphone.
On average 42% more data traffic during the festivals compared to 2018
Summer festivals are synonymous with large usage peaks on the mobile networks, in particular on applications that allow to share photos, videos or experiences. This year, too, has seen a strong boost in data traffic during the festivals, with an average increase of 42% compared to last year. Throughout the two weekends of Tomorrowland, Proximus recorded close to 64 terabytes of data traffic on its mobile network, an astronomical figure considering that a single terabyte corresponds to about 3 million photos shared.
It goes without saying that this represents an extraordinary technical challenge for Proximus' teams, especially due to the very large number of people having the same needs, at the same location and at the same time. For example, during the Metallica concert on 16 June, the Proximus network managed five times more data in surroundings of the King Baudouin stadium compared to an evening without an event. Moreover, statistics show a major peak in downloads before the start of the show; this is the time when concert visitors typically watch videos, check the concert schedule or search for other information to pass the time. As soon as the concert started, a very strong increase in uploads was observed, linked to the many photos and videos the audience shared via the social networks.
To meet these traffic peaks, some 170 Proximus employees are involved in the preparatory phase before and the network management during these events. Every year, Proximus deploys about 100 temporary mobile stations at around 60 events. In terms of capacity deployed, the five largest events of the year are Tomorrowland, Rock Werchter, Dour, Pukkelpop and the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Spa-Francorchamps. In some cases, the added capacity can reach up to twice the capacity available normally in a medium-sized city such as Bruges, while it is deployed on a very small surface area.
After broadcasting most of the Rock Werchter and Tomorrowland concerts, Proximus will also be present at Pukkelpop
Proximus has been a loyal partner of the largest Belgian summer festivals for many years. This year, the collaboration was further strengthened, with live broadcasting of most of the concerts of the three largest summer festivals.
During Rock Werchter for example, Proximus was able to offer its TV customers high-quality programming, available on their TV screen at home, on a laptop or mobile. At Tomorrowland too, Proximus offered those who were unable to get hold of a precious ticket to the festival a fine consolation prize, thanks to live footage grouping together the highlights of the performances on the four largest stages.
The same will be done for Pukkelpop, from 15 to 19 August. On channel 11 of the TV decoder, which will be renamed "Pickx Live", Proximus will broadcast live concerts, behind-the-scenes footage, reports and interviews, every evening of the festival as from 7 p.m. This content will also be available on the web page dedicated to the festivals and via the Proximus Pickx app. On top of that, TV customers will be able to watch the highlights on demand. Finally, a livestream of most concerts and a selection of videos on demand will be available online for all music fans, as from 1 p.m.
More information on the festivals, along with exclusive content, is available here.
