If you are holidaying at home in the UK this year, you might notice a welcome change in phone signal if you and your family are travelling to a few particular destinations up and down the country.
O2 has announced it is in the process of upgrading its mobile network across 22 different Haven holiday sites to boost 4G and 5G coverage for Brits vacationing at the popular sites.
Haven owns 38 holiday parks across the UK, offering caravan and other accommodation for those of us who enjoy a break by the coast. O2 said in a press release that it has already improved mobile signal at Thornwick Bay Holiday Park in Yorkshire and Skegness Holiday Park in Lincolnshire, and will continue to boost connectivity across 22 sites through summer.
“With more than 48 percent of Brits planning a staycation this summer, the upgrades will significantly improve 4G and 5G coverage, ensuring guests enjoy faster, more reliable mobile service during their stay,” O2 said.
O2’s network is also used by smaller network operators Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile, so if you are a customer of one of those providers you will also benefit from the free network upgrades at the Haven locations.
The upgrades are being made in partnership with infrastructure service provider Freshwave, who works with mobile operators to ensure the best possible connectivity across commercial sites.
“With more people choosing to holiday in the UK, we are working to improve our mobile network in some of the most popular staycation destinations,” said Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2.
“This work with Haven is a great example of our Mobile Transformation Plan in action, bringing more reliable connectivity to the places people need it most. So, whether our customers are off to Skegness, Berwick, or Cleethorpes, they can stay connected this summer.”
O2 said the upgrades are part of this ongoing Transformation Plan, during which the firm plans to invest £700m in 2025 alone in order to improve its UK mobile network. It comes as Vodafone was cleared to merge with Three, demoting O2 to having the smallest mobile network by customer number of 24 million.
EE has 25 million while the new VodafoneThree has more than 28 million.
O2 is expanding 4G and 5G coverage via various means, concentrating on urban areas and commercial sites as well as “network pain points including along railway lines, at airports, on motorways, and in stadiums and arenas.”
The provider also recently confirmed a spectrum sharing deal with Vodafone to improve O2 customer signal by allowing devices to automatically pick up Vodafone signal where O2 coverage might be weaker.