Behind the scenes at 3Arena: I was wowed by Three Ireland's tech boost for concert-goers
Leading Irish network operator Three Ireland has carried out a major upgrade to its mobile network infrastructure at 3Arena.The plot was to improve mobile data connectivity speeds and deliver an even better customer experience in one of Europe’s best venues.READ MORE: Redmagic 11 Pro review: Gaming smartphone has uninterrupted display, huge battery and unique designREAD MORE: I tested Insta360 Go Ultra - the tiny new magnetic mount action camera you can wear and use anywhereAs someone who loves attending concerts in venues of all shapes and sizes, I was cautious about welcoming the news as I figured the last thing we need at live events is punters spending even more time on their phones and not living in and enjoying the moment.But I hold up my hand and confess that I love taking souvenir snaps at gigs and trying out the zoom range capabilities of the latest smartphones while I am reviewing them for Irish Mirror.And I also know how frustrating it was in the past when 3Arena along with Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Aviva Stadium, Croke Park and many outdoor music festivals struggled with surges in data traffic as users bid to upload videos and snaps from their night out to their social media feeds.The network and devices teams at Three Ireland have in recent years been busy addressing this issue in recent years as customer satisfaction is key to the brand’s success, particularly with the younger generation it is so popular with.The firm has already installed high tech upgrades at both Aviva Stadium and Croke Park, and when it completed similar work at 3Arena, I jumped at the opportunity to test out the enhanced network speeds and capability.We used a range of the most powerful cutting-edge devices such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7 folding smartphone and I enjoyed substantial increases across all connectivity metrics. For example, the time to upload a 5mb file is only 2.32 seconds. This helps concertgoers connect with family and friends at home or in the crowd, and capture lifelong memories.We ran some tests on both Three Ireland handsets and some operating on other networks and the experience was noticeably zippier on the Three network. As someone who has performed as a DJ at the venue, I am starkly aware how beneficial this network upgrade will be for connectivity backstage and that is great news for promoters, production crews and performers.Since the upgrade, sold-out 14,000-capacity concerts from Irish legends such as CMAT and Kneecap are among those at which music fans benefitted from Three’s targeted enhancementsTom Kinsella, Chief Consumer Officer at Three Ireland, told Irish Mirror: “Seamless connectivity is so important for our customers at events, whether that’s to find a friend in the crowd, to access digital tickets, or simply to capture unforgettable moments or share the experience with people who can’t be there."At Three, we pride ourselves on delivering an unmatched offering of experiences and rewards to our customers, and this upgrade is part of that commitment. We’re proud to bring this enhanced network to 3Arena as we continue to provide Three customers with best-in-class connectivity.”Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
