Yettel told Portfolio that this year’s Sziget Festival generates mobile traffic comparable to the needs of a city the size of Szombathely on Óbuda Island. To meet the increased load and unusually high content‑sharing rates, the operator expanded total mobile capacity by 20 percent and increased high‑speed 5G capacity by 40 percent.
Why the festival is a special challenge
At peak times on the festival grounds, 70,000–80,000 people use their phones simultaneously within an area of just 60–70 hectares. Because of large numbers of photo and video uploads, the share of upload traffic can jump from the everyday levels (typically below 10 percent) to as high as 30 percent. The largest video traffic traditionally concentrates around the Main Stage.
Technical and operational measures
The upgrades required an investment of more than 50 million Hungarian forints. Across the site, 144 mobile cells were installed at 21 locations, typically covering areas of 100–200 metres, creating a dense network structure. The deployment used modern, energy‑efficient equipment that requires less cooling while supporting heavy traffic.
A 30‑person engineering and service team is responsible for the construction, continuous monitoring and maintenance of the system on site.
5G and additional services
Experts estimate that with the wider adoption of 5G‑capable devices, 5G traffic could reach around 30 percent of total data usage this year. In addition to the infrastructure upgrades, visitors have access to 15 mobile charging points and a free Wi‑Fi zone.
A dedicated station is also available where festivalgoers can create their own videos using artificial intelligence‑generated backgrounds.
Conclusion
The capacity increases and denser cell deployment aim to ensure more stable, higher‑speed connectivity during the Sziget Festival, enabling seamless uploads and live sharing for the tens of thousands of simultaneous users on site.
