5G at be•at concert venues: that’s where the music is!

Be•at manages four major arenas for concerts and events as well as three theatres for the performing arts and intimate concerts. Between them, Sportpaleis, Lotto Arena, Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen, Capitole Gent, Vorst Nationaal, Trixxo Arena and Trixxo Theater attract around three million visitors a year to some eight hundred events. All those audiences bring massive data consumption.

Concert experience and network connectivity

Be•at wants to do more for the ultimate concert experience through its brand-new be•at Venues app. Birgit Ketele, Martechcom Director at be•at, explains: "To start with, we will make it possible to use the app to check the concert agenda, buy tickets and receive push notifications, including on mobility. Those applications will essentially allow visitors to consult in advance from home or on the road. Other functionalities, such as information on our facilities services, services for people with disabilities, bar locations or the drinks menu promise to peak mainly in the concert hall."

The app shows our network no longer delivers an optimal experience. With Proximus NXT, we’re investing in 5G as a future-proof solution.

Birgit Ketele, Martechcom Director at be•at

To ensure optimal network performance when using the app, be•at came to Proximus NXT's door. "We have known for some time that the current 4G and Wi-Fi networks will not meet the expectations of both the public and ourselves forever. The new app was an additional trigger to put our money where our mouth is. In the past, we had already successfully collaborated with Proximus NXT, for example at the Proximus Pop-Up Arena in Middelkerke. Their experts know our needs and expectations, so we were immediately on the right wavelength for this project too," says Birgit.

Kris Van Cauwenbergh, 5G expert at Proximus NXT

Concertgoer becomes content creator

Kris Van Cauwenbergh, 5G expert at Proximus NXT, reached out with a 5G Private Network (5G MPN) a solution that fully meets the needs of be•at. "5G offers speed, capacity, stability and reliability as its major assets. Those elements are crucial for be•at's sites. Another advantage is Massive Machine-type communication (mMTC) which means that you connect more points per square meter. Or in other words, 5G ensures that—even with a large sea of people—the network does not get saturated."

"Concertgoers are increasingly turning into content creators. We can see that clear change in behavior from the data coming from our networks," Kris says. "When the gig starts, all the smartphones take to the air to stream images and share photos. That partly reverses the network requirements: from download capacity to upload capacity. But 5G knows how to deal with that. 5G also provides optimal access to the new be•at Venues app."

Better sound experience for concertgoers with hearing problems

Birgit Ketele says the 5G Mobile Private Network opens up a sea of possibilities. "We have loads of applications in the pipeline. For instance, we want to see whether we can use 5G to create a better sound experience for people with hearing problems. Other future innovations include the ability to immediately open new checkouts when there are large crowds without cabling, in addition to smart cameras for monitoring our car parks. Those innovations will come into their full potential via the 5G Mobile Private Network."

Successful interaction

The cooperation between be•at and Proximus NXT is a great example of cocreation. "5G technology is only as good as what you do with it. In this sense, I see connectivity as an enabler of business cases," Kris believes. "Building the network in itself is daily business for Proximus, but a big challenge is getting the different software applications to talk to each other over the 5G network. The clear vision and open communication of the team at be•at is proving to be golden in this respect."

From be•at's perspective, the interaction looks equally enriching. "On both sides, employees from different departments are working on this project. We are familiar with each other's working methods, which helps us to switch quickly. Kris employs an oversight view and makes sure we get in touch with the appropriate people. Together, we feel that we are achieving great things and that is contagious. I recommend everyone to download our app and experience our innovations for themselves in the coming months."