Vodafone says it broke network data records during Glastonbury this year, with festivalgoers using 33% more data than during the event in 2023.
The mobile operator, which is the official connectivity partner of Glastonbury, said more than 225 terabytes of data were used over the course of the five-day festival, which was headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay and Sza – the equivalent of 7,300 hours of HD video streaming.
Vodafone said 258 gigabytes of data were uploaded during Coldplay’s headline slot on the Saturday night, the equivalent of 74,000 high-resolution pictures being uploaded to Instagram.
To handle the crowds of over 200,000 at Worthy Farm in Somerset, Vodafone installed 10 temporary masts around the site.
In addition, the operator offered festivalgoers the chance to test out its own network during their time at the festival by allowing them to temporarily switch to Vodafone via eSim and without changing their number – a offer the firm said nearly 15,000 people tried out.
The official Glastonbury app was also supported by the mobile operator, who said it was downloaded more than 226,000 times, including by around one in 10 who were not at the festival itself.
Elsewhere, Vodafone said just under 10,000 people bought power banks for charging their devices from the firm’s on-site Connect & Charge tent.
The operator said that for each one of these purchases, it would donate free connectivity to charities in the local area, as part of a scheme to help Glastonbury attendees give back to the local community.
Rob Winterschladen, Vodafone UK consumer director, said: “As official connectivity partner for Glastonbury Festival, I’m incredibly proud that we boosted our network to its highest capacity ever, allowed all festivalgoers the opportunity to try The Nation’s Network for free, and delivered a game-changing app.
“I look forward to delivering even more for fans and customers across the summer and beyond.”
