Glasgow City Region Working to Boost Mobile Phone Speeds at Key Glasgow Stadiums and Venues

• Mobile surveys reveal opportunities to improve speeds at Celtic Park, Hampden Park, Ibrox, and the OVO Hydro
• Upgrades will benefit fans at sporting events and concerts as well as residents living nearby

A detailed survey of mobile phone networks across Glasgow, commissioned by Glasgow City Region, has identified where improvements are needed to give residents and visitors a faster, more reliable mobile experience.

Data was gathered on the strength of signal from the UK’s four mobile operators – EE, Vodafone, Three and O2/Virgin Media.

The analysis* focused on Glasgow city centre, Celtic Park, Hampden Park, Ibrox, Scotstoun, and the OVO Hydro – locations that see some of the highest footfall in the city during football matches, concerts and other major events.

The findings showed that the main issue is not coverage gaps but capacity pressures, where large crowds place heavy demand on mobile networks, leading to slower speeds and unreliable service.

Key Findings

Celtic Park, Hampden Park, Ibrox and OVO Hydro are most affected by network strain during busy events.

The findings from the survey have been shared with all major mobile phone operators with the ask that they introduce infrastructure improvements where needed. 

Mobile operators can then choose to boost the capacity of their network at peak times, during events, which will provide a more reliable and seamless connection for their customers.

By working closely with mobile phone operators, Glasgow City Region is helping to target upgrades that will directly benefit those attending stadium events as well as people living and working nearby.

Theresa Searle, Economic Development Manager at the Glasgow City Region Telecoms Unit said: “We know how important reliable mobile connectivity is for residents, whether they are at a match, attending a concert, or simply using their phone in the city centre.

“By supporting mobile operators with clear data and access to local infrastructure, we’re helping ensure that network improvements are delivered where they will make the biggest difference.”

This work builds on wider efforts already underway to improve connectivity where bin lorries fitted with specialist equipment are surveying mobile coverage across the Region.

The results are being used to create a new free mobile coverage checker, giving residents and businesses an easy way to see which mobile networks offer the fastest speeds around their home, workplace or other locations of interest.  

Summary of Performance

A network performance pain point analysis is show in the table below:

AOI (Area of Interest)	3UK	EE	O2	VF
Glasgow City Centre	poor	fair	fair	fair
Celtic Park	fair	fair	poor	poor
Hampden Park	poor	fair	good	good
Ibrox	poor	good	poor	good
OVO Hydro	good	good	poor	poor
Scotstoun	good	good	good	good

Network performance by AOI

*The surveys were commissioned by Glasgow City Region and carried out by Streetwave.

You can get in touch with the Glasgow City Region Telecoms Unit by contacting Theresa Searle at: Telecoms@glasgow.gov.uk