O2 and Freshwave upgrade 4G/5G at 22 Haven holiday parks

Virgin Media O2 is partnering with neutral host provider Freshwave to strengthen mobile coverage across 22 Haven holiday parks, aligning seasonal demand with targeted network investment.

O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan rollout for Haven sites

O2 is upgrading 4G and 5G coverage at 22 holiday sites run by Haven, one of the UK’s largest coastal resort operators. The project is part of O2’s Mobile Transformation Plan, a multi-year program focused on improving capacity and coverage where traffic spikes. The first wave is already live at locations including Thornwick Bay Holiday Park in Yorkshire and Skegness Holiday Park in Lincolnshire, with additional parks going live through the summer.

Roles of O2, Freshwave (neutral host), and Haven

Freshwave is delivering the build as a neutral host, acting as the infrastructure partner while O2 serves as the anchor mobile operator. Haven is the venue partner, aiming to raise guest satisfaction and support digital services for on-park owners and staff. The neutral host model creates a path for future multi-operator support while containing deployment and operating costs for the venue.

Rollout timeline and UK holiday park locations

The upgrades span popular UK staycation destinations, including coastal and rural parks where coverage can be patchy and demand is highly seasonal. Four parks are live now, with the remaining sites phased over the peak travel window to improve both outdoor and indoor experience for guests, staff, and nearby communities.

Why seasonal hotspots need targeted 4G/5G capacity

Seasonal hotspots are seeing heavier mobile use for streaming, social sharing, and remote work, demanding capacity that traditional macro footprints often cannot deliver consistently.

Staycation traffic patterns and capacity needs

With domestic travel remaining strong, mobile networks must flex around predictable but short-lived surges. Holiday parks concentrate thousands of users in tight geographies, creating uplink-heavy loads and challenging RF conditions. Targeted small cells and localized radio enhancements can stabilize performance for guests and support venue operations, from digital check-in to maintenance and safety.

Neutral host model: cost, scalability, and time-to-service

Freshwaves’ neutral host approach reduces duplication and accelerates time-to-service by separating infrastructure delivery from retail mobile services. For venues, a single build can be scoped to accommodate multiple operators over time. For O2, an anchor deployment leverages shared assets, backhaul, and power while focusing operator spend on radio capacity and customer experience.

Spectrum strategy and densification to boost capacity

O2’s plan to acquire additional spectrum from Vodafone, taking its share to roughly 30% of UK mobile spectrum, subject to completion, underpins this capacity-led strategy. More spectrum, combined with densification, translates to faster speeds, better mid-band 5G reach, and more resilient 4G fallback in high-traffic zones like holiday parks.

Deployment design: small cells, macro tuning, and resilience

The build targets practical, venue-aware solutions that lift capacity and fill coverage gaps without overbuilding.

Small-cell placement and 4G/5G traffic steering

Expect a mix of outdoor small cells and selective macro enhancements tuned for resort layouts, with adaptive antenna placement to manage line-of-sight constraints and coastal topography. 5G provides headroom for peak sessions while enhanced 4G anchors wide device compatibility. Intelligent traffic steering across 4G/5G helps smooth busy-hour performance and video-heavy usage.

Fiber/microwave backhaul, power efficiency, and monitoring

Reliable backhaul is pivotal; fiber is preferred where available, with microwave links as a pragmatic alternative in harder-to-reach coastal stretches. Designs need weather-resistant enclosures, efficient power draws, and remote monitoring for fast fault isolation. For venues, coordinating civil works, permitting, and wayleaves early can compress deployment timelines.

End-to-end QoE optimization for LTE and 5G devices

Assured guest experience depends on end-to-end tuning of RAN parameters, backhaul latency, core routing, and content delivery paths. Device mixes at holiday parks are diverse, so optimization must serve both legacy LTE and 5G NR handsets. Venue teams benefit from clearer SLAs and telemetry that link network KPIs to on-park service outcomes.

What venue owners and enterprises should do next

Resort operators and large campuses can use this as a blueprint for scalable mobile connectivity that complements WiFi and operational systems.

Step-by-step blueprint for resorts and campuses

Start with heatmaps of guest flows, service locations, and staff routes to prioritize radio placements. Combine outdoor small cells for general coverage with targeted indoor solutions where construction materials or layout obstruct signals. Align upgrades with peak seasons to capture near-term ROI in guest satisfaction metrics.

Commercial models to de-risk neutral host builds

Neutral host arrangements can split capex, widen operator reach, and simplify lifecycle management. Anchor-tenant models let one operator go first, with the platform engineered for future multi-operator extensions. Clear governance on maintenance windows and performance reporting protects day-to-day operations.

Coordinating public 5G, private networks, and WiFi

Many venues run mission-critical systems on WiFi and, increasingly, private cellular. Coordinating spectrum use, interference management, and backhaul prioritization across public and private domains avoids conflicts. For staff apps and IoT, evaluate whether private LTE/5G or enhanced public coverage best meets latency, reliability, and compliance needs.

What to monitor post-launch

Execution details and ecosystem participation will determine how far this model scales beyond the initial 22 sites.

Key milestones and performance KPIs

Track activation cadence through the summer and early performance indicators such as median downlink, uplink stability, and complaint rates. Watch for improvements during evening peaks and bad-weather indoor periods when usage concentrates.

Path to multi-operator participation

The neutral host architecture is designed to support additional operators. Signals of cross-operator adoption would validate the business case for broader coastal and rural deployments and create a consistent experience for all visitors.

Planning, permitting, and policy enablers

Local planning processes and wayleaves often slow coastal builds. Any evidence of streamlined approvals or standardized venue agreements will be a positive leading indicator for replicating this model across other seasonal hotspots, transport corridors, and major attractions.

Takeaways for telecom leaders

Targeted 4G/5G upgrades at seasonal destinations show how densification, spectrum assets, and neutral host partnerships can translate investment into tangible experience gains where demand is spiky and expectations are high.

James Bromley, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Haven, said: “We’re delighted to be working with O2 and Freshwave to bring enhanced mobile connectivity to our parks. Our guests and owners expect to stay connected, whether it’s sharing memories, streaming entertainment, or working remotely. I’m delighted that our investment in our parks has attracted O2 to ensure we’re delivering the best possible experience for families choosing to holiday or own at our parks.”

Dr Robert Joyce, Director of Mobile Access Engineering at O2, said: “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. 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.”

Simon Frumkin, CEO of Freshwave, said: “We’re proud to be working as a neutral host to bring assured mobile connectivity to O2 customers across Haven parks and the neighbouring communities. By combining technical expertise with a collaborative, partnership-led approach, we’re happy to help deliver business-enhancing value, improving both user experience and operational performance.”

Priority actions for operators and venues

Operators should prioritize venue-led demand maps and neutral host partners to accelerate coverage where macro sites underperform; venues should assess anchor-tenant options, backhaul readiness, and integration with existing digital services to maximize return and guest satisfaction this season.