VodafoneThree brings dedicated 5G to Manchester’s Co-op Live

By James Calloway

VodafoneThree has installed dedicated 4G and 5G throughout Manchester’s Co-op Live, serving roughly 1.3 million visitors a year and the venue’s own operations under a new technology partnership with Vodafone Business. The announcement describes Co-op Live as the UK’s next-generation live entertainment arena.

Cellnex, VodafoneThree’s infrastructure partner, carried out the installation. The in-venue network can support visitor services and business applications, while Vodafone Business, the operator group’s enterprise arm, is examining a business-only 5G+ slicing product for the arena.

What does this change for visitors and venue operators?

Vodafone and Three subscribers can connect automatically to the best available coverage on either network, with no additional charge. VodafoneThree says that provides fast and reliable data through what it calls “The Nation’s Network”, its brand for the shared infrastructure.

5G Standalone (5G SA) is now enabled at Co-op Live. The arena is the latest Manchester venue to receive improved coverage through dedicated mobile-network solutions.

Visitors on Vodafone SuperMobile can use Vodafone’s 5G+ FastTrack in busy areas. Vodafone says FastTrack can provide speeds up to four times faster than standard plans. That is a vendor claim rather than a measured result, as the announcement discloses no independent throughput test for the venue.

Dedicated 4G and 5G coverage supports both public access and venue operations. The automatic selection of the strongest available network reduces the need for customers to choose between Vodafone and Three coverage manually.

Vodafone Business is working with Co-op Live to explore Vodafone SuperMobile for Business, a business-only 5G+ slicing service. Slicing would provide dedicated capacity on VodafoneThree’s network, helping keep business-critical services connected during periods of exceptionally high demand.

It remains an exploration, not a live commercial deployment. The announcement gives no launch date, pricing or contract value for the sliced service.

The proposed applications include:

• Payment processing
• Staff communications
• Security operations
• Guest services
• Connected venue technologies

Guy Dunstan, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Co-op Live, said: “Our partnership with Vodafone Business forms a key pillar in our drive for technological innovation and excellence, tangibly elevating the in-venue experience for both fans and Co-op Live’s team members.”

How the Manchester deployment fits

Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology installed at Co-op Live has started to be introduced at other locations across Greater Manchester, including masts near Piccadilly train station. Dedicated Vodafone 5G and 4G solutions are also in place at Manchester Airport Terminals 2 and 3 and the Trafford Centre.

The Co-op Live installation therefore extends a shared-infrastructure approach already appearing across transport, entertainment and retail sites in the region. For visitors, the commercial benefit is automatic access to whichever network offers the strongest available coverage without an additional charge.

The investment timetable

The improvements form part of VodafoneThree’s UK-wide £11 billion investment programme. The company has committed to reaching 99% 5G SA population coverage by 2030 and 99.96% by 2034.

Those figures concern population coverage rather than guaranteed equivalent service or throughput at every indoor venue. No timetable was provided for the proposed sliced-service work at Co-op Live or for additional MOCN locations beyond the sites already identified.

Andrea Dona, Network Director at VodafoneThree, said:

“People are using more data than ever, particularly in busy venues like Co-op Live.

Which is why we continue to invest to stay ahead of that growth and ensure our customers can continue to enjoy fast and reliable coverage, both now and into the future.

The introduction of our 5G will also help Co-op Live and the businesses supporting it to thrive, giving them the connectivity they need to serve their customers, operate efficiently and make the most of new digital opportunities.”

The next proof point for Vodafone Business and Co-op Live is whether the proposed sliced services can maintain critical traffic during the venue’s busiest periods; no trial date was announced. Beyond the arena, VodafoneThree’s wider MOCN introduction and its 2030 and 2034 coverage commitments set the rollout timetable.