Stadium of Light revs up with 5G

Article posted by Coliseum, September 22^nd, 2025

Image: Stadium of Light, G Laird, CC BY-SA 2.0

Boldyn Networks and Virgin Media O2 have teamed up to deliver a 5G boost to Sunderland A.F.C.’s Stadium of Light.

Boldyn has installed neutral host equipment as part of a local connectivity project, which Virgin Media O2 has become the first to utilize.

DCD said it’s part of the Sunderland Open Network EcosysTem (SONET) project, which is partially government-funded by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The purpose of the upgrade is to provide a connectivity boost to the stadium, which hosts around 49,000 spectators.

Sunderland A.F.C. is a professional football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England (UK). The team competes in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.

The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England (UK) and the residence of the Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators the Stadium of Light is the 10^th-largest football stadium in England.

Boldyn states that its Connectivity-as-a-Service (CaaS) opens up the potential for Open RAN technology, while it also uses an evolved distributed antenna system (DAS).

London (UK)-based Boldyn Networks build shared communications infrastructure that enables new possibilities for connected transit, venues, enterprise, next-generation networks, and Smart Cities.

With operations spanning the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, and Hong Kong, the company’s comprehensive solution set and portfolio empower its customers to transform the way people live, work and play.

According to Boldyn, the fully virtualized O-RAN-based platform reduces space and power requirements by up to 60 percent compared to traditional indoor architectures.

Because of this, Boldyn said its network management system is able to cut operational costs “through the digitization and automation of the service assurance processes.”

The upgrades at the stadium are timely, as Sunderland A.F.C. has returned to the Premier League for the first time since 2017. The ground also hosted the opening game of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Brendan O’Reilly, CEO of UK & Ireland at Boldyn Networks, said, “This project underscores our commitment to delivering innovative connectivity solutions that enhance the digital experience for users in high-density environments, without sacrificing cost or energy efficiency,”

Earlier this year, Virgin Media O2 announced plans to invest £700 million ($944m) into its mobile network in 2025, as part of an effort to improve its reliability, speed, and coverage across the UK.

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