This BBC Radio 1 case study explores the high-capacity infrastructure behind one of the UK’s most significant music festivals. In May 2025, Baltic Broadband was tasked with providing mission-critical connectivity for the Big Weekend in Sefton Park, supporting 100,000 fans and a global broadcast audience.

The Challenge: Absolute Service Continuity

For an event featuring global stars like Ed Sheeran and Sam Fender, downtime was not an option. The project required a massive 20Gbps of internet capacity using our Baltic Bulletproof product, split across Fixed Wireless Access and Fibre, to support live television, 4K streaming via iPlayer, and backstage production.

The Solution: The “Triangle of Connectivity”

To achieve maximum resilience, we created a unique technical architecture for this BBC Radio 1 case study. We fed the 20Gbps capacity from two of our major UK hubs:

• Our Manchester Data Centre: Connected via the LINX Manchester internet exchange.

• Our London Data Centre: Connected via the London internet exchange (LINX).

By routing traffic from both the North and South of the UK into Liverpool, we created a highly resilient triangle of connectivity. This ensured that even a major national infrastructure failure outside of Liverpool would not affect the festival’s performance.

BBC Radio 1 case study – Extreme Resilience: The Satellite Overlay

Beyond fibre and wireless, we implemented a sophisticated satellite backup system. We collected high-availability traffic via a direct fibre connection to a partner earth station (terrestrial relay station) in London. This allowed the Baltic Broadband network to be overlaid across the satellite network and delivered directly to Sefton Park. This “belt and braces” approach provided the BBC with a level of security rarely seen in temporary event infrastructure.

Collaboration and Support

Success on this scale requires expert partnership. We enjoyed working closely with Indigo, the event infrastructure specialists, to integrate our network into the site’s physical layout.

To guarantee performance, Baltic Broadband provided 24/7 proactive monitoring and a dedicated on-site engineering team throughout the duration of the project, ensuring immediate response times for any requirement.

Innovation: A World-First with BBC R&D

A highlight of this BBC Radio 1 case study was our collaboration with the BBC’s Research & Development department. We provided the ultra-low latency bandwidth required for the Radio 1 Dance Stage: The Portal. This world-first application delivered a virtual, immersive rave experience that pushed the boundaries of what is possible with live event connectivity.

## Final Results: The BBC Radio 1 Case Study

From 20Gbps of raw power to 24/7 on-site support, Baltic Broadband proved that we are the UK’s leading Live Events & Broadcast partner.

Planning a mission-critical event? Contact our Liverpool Engineering Team.