Vodafone Launches Innovation Lounge for Local Businesses in the West Midlands

On October 8, 2019, Vodafone opened a business lounge at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. This means local businesses in the West Midlands can gain first-hand experience of the latest 'game-changing' technologies and access digital expertise. 

These 'Game-changers' include 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT) and high-speed fibre.

The launch is part of Vodafone's commitment to create technology centres across the UK; ensuring businesses can continue to collaborate and innovate in keeping with technological developments. 

The lounge features permanent demonstrations, including: a "'Day in the life of 5G, showcasing the impact 5G will have on the sports, retail and automotive industries, in collaboration with Ericsson; a 5G ‘drop goal’ VR experience; and a haptic suit that simulates the feeling of a rugby tackle."

High speed fibre

Vodafone uses full fibre connectivity, also known as fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology, to offer it's Gigafast Broadband. The technology uses faster and more reliable fibre optic cables, at every stage of a connection. This means download speeds 16 times faster and upload speeds 125 times faster than the average fixed broadband service in the UK. The technology is now available to homes and businesses across Coventry, which means lagging, buffering and dropouts, even in cases of simultaneous streaming, are problems of the past.

5G and sport 

Back in September 2018, you may remember the England and Manchester City Captain Steph Houghton meeting a young fan, Iris, at the Vodafone Future Ready Conference in Newbury, UK. The footballer was projected as a hologram into the room via 5G as Vodafone successfully conducted the first holographic call using 5G technology in the UK.


Vodafone is continuing to use 5G technology to transform the fan experience; with hopes to change the way sports organisations operate, open up new revenue opportunities; and help athletes improve their fitness and training programmes. Check back at the CMM Blog for more updates.