Event Wi-Fi for Dax Festivalgoers

When large numbers of people gather at the same outdoor venue and rely on the same mobile towers, the result is predictable: messages are delayed, calls fail to connect, and social media becomes unusable. A private 4G or 5G network alone does not solve this, since it still needs a backhaul connection that does not depend on already saturated capacity.

This matters beyond the question of convenience because :

• Merchants' vendor POS systems disconnect during peak periods
• Media organisations cannot transmit content
• Emergency services lose an essential coordination tool in dense crowds

In the Dax arena, at the height of the festivities, there was simply no signal, a frustration that led directly to the City of Dax's call for expressions of interest for the provision of alternative connectivity solutions.

The Need: Temporary Installations and event wi-FI Services

A temporary event imposes three constraints: the network must be installed quickly, removed quickly, and leave no permanent impact behind.

Before deployment, the event Wi-Fi engineers faced three planning challenges:

1. Capacity planning with no benchmark data, since nothing like this had been deployed at an event of this scale
2. Site selection with the City of Dax, requiring clear views of the sky, access to power and suitable Wi-Fi distribution points
3. Granular coverage through dense crowds and thick walls 

No structured cabling or hardline internet existed across the squares and arenas, and running temporary fibre to every concentration point would have been time-consuming, costly and intrusive. High-speed satellite internet delivers capacity directly where it is needed, without civil engineering work.

The Solution: RentED LEO Terminals and a Trusted Provider Chain

Satellite connectivity needs no trenching and no operator connection: the access point is operational with just a power supply and a mounting point with a clear view of the sky. Because LEO satellites fly closer to Earth than GEO, the connection stayed responsive even in dense crowds, and the equipment was rented only for the duration of the event.

The value chain brought together four partners:

• Eutelsat OneWeb : operated the LEO constellation and provided dedicated bandwidth
• E-SAT, as distributor and systems integrator with more than 25 years of experience in mission-critical satellite connectivity, supplied the terminals and subscriptions and provided site support
• Jecapte.fr designed and operated the Wi-Fi network, captive portal and commercial packages
• The City of Dax enabled deployment across public spaces

The network was split into separate segments for the general public, businesses and emergency services, with Quality of Service policies guaranteeing priority for critical traffic regardless of load. The public package covered messaging, maps and browsing, with live streaming excluded to ensure peak demand was absorbed. Redundancy came from terminals spread across multiple sites, with fibre as a secondary path where available, all monitored in real time by a dedicated team on site.

The Impact: Protected Services, Controlled Costs and Reusable Equipment

The results validated the approach:

• Almost 10,000 successful connections by day three, and more than 12,000 over the five-day festival
• Nearly 100 payment terminals connected, all working successfully
• The Red Cross confirmed that information was transmitted correctly through the connected ambulances
• Fully reversible infrastructure was installed on rooftops, balconies and street furniture and was removed post-event with no changes to buildings
• Spare capacity remained available for more users if required
• The equipment can be redeployed at another event anywhere in France

Looking ahead, jecapte.fr has committed to a four-year deployment plan in Dax, with plans to support other events, including music and sports events, across France from 2027.

For more examples like this, view more case studies in our media centre.