Haven, Vodafone and Freshwave drive connectivity for holiday parks

Holiday parks in Yorkshire, Kent, Scotland, Norfolk and North Wales were the first to get the 4G and 5G enhancements. Haven, the UK’s leading holiday park operator, is joining forces with Vodafone UK and connectivity infrastructure-as-a-service partner Freshwave, to provide increased connectivity to holiday parks and coastal communities across the country.

The multi-million-pound deal comes as an increasing number of guests care about internet and phone connectivity, believing it’s important to their family while on holiday – to keep them entertained in their accommodation or let them keep in touch with work and family, if they need to.

With Haven expecting to welcome more than 3.6m holiday makers by the end of 2024, the new service will benefit Vodafone customers visiting its parks, including holidaymakers, holiday homeowners and team members who work and reside on park, as well as local communities near the parks.

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Primrose Valley Holiday Park, located in Filey, Yorkshire, was the first park to undergo 4G and 5G enhancements earlier this year, followed by Kent Coast in Kent, Craig Tara in Scotland, Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk, and Hafan y Mor in North Wales.

Simon Palethorpe, CEO, Haven: “We’re excited to announce that our exclusive partnership with Vodafone is now live, and we’re looking forward to providing our guests, owners and team with improved high-speed 4G and 5G connectivity. Our new partnership also means the local coastal communities near our parks will also benefit from improved mobile data coverage.”

The partnership will introduce dedicated Vodafone 5G, while improving existing 4G coverage to Haven holiday parks across England, Scotland and Wales, leading to faster and more reliable data speeds, as well as better-quality voice calls.

Media regulator Ofcom has found that electromagnetic field (EMF) emissions from 5G mobile base stations are "at small fractions" of recommended safety levels.

Improving connectivity across Haven holiday parks is crucial for delivering an exceptional experience for both holidaymakers and homeowners. Haven parks are largely tech enabled, with 93% of guests utilising the Haven app, which facilitates the booking of activities, dining reservations, and the ability to conveniently pinpoint the location of their holiday accommodation. Additionally, guests can benefit from an enhanced dining experience, through the use of tablet devices to take orders.

Andrea Donà, Network Director at Vodafone UK, said: “Our partnership with Haven and Freshwave means our customers are starting to enjoy some of the fastest mobile data speeds in the UK as well as a stronger and more reliable voice signal while enjoying their holiday. Vodafone customers will automatically benefit from superfast access via their mobile phones and devices around the park and inside holiday homes – whether that’s checking emails, streaming their favourite show or staying in touch with loved ones.

“At the same time, Haven has the connectivity it needs to support its business applications. We now look forward to working together with Haven to see how the improved coverage can continue supporting both their guests and their business.”

Simon Frumkin, CEO of Freshwave, said: “We’re delighted to be working on this innovative project which extends mobile connectivity to Vodafone customers in Haven parks and the communities around them. Freshwave’s combination of engineering excellence and a totally collaborative approach in working with our partners allows us to develop unique solutions to connectivity challenges. Haven understands the benefits mobile connectivity brings to both its guests and operations and we’re pleased to be acting as a neutral host as we continue to roll out new infrastructure for them in partnership with Vodafone.”

Acquired by Blackstone in 2021, Haven has already invested over £410 million in its parks across 2021, 2022 and 2023, with a commitment to upgrading and modernising all holiday sites to offer guests an unforgettable holiday experience.