The Singtel group is going into E-sports and they’re not pulling any punches. At their inaugural multi-title and regional e-sports league, PVP Esports Championship, held in Singapore from 5th to 7th of October 2018, Singtel roped in their subsidiary Optus and regional associates Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to officially cement their joint commitment to cooperate and jointly leverage their strengths to grow the gaming and e-sports ecosystem in Southeast Asia, Australia and India.
The Singtel Group will tap on its telco assets, strong knowledge of its local markets in Asia and mobile customer base of more than 700 million to explore opportunities to enable e-sports enthusiasts and gamers in their passion.
Mr Arthur Lang, CEO of Singtel’s International Group, said, “Gaming is part of a digital world without borders, where fast network speeds, connectivity and local market knowledge are critical. It is a natural and perfect fit for Singtel and our partners. We are committed to working as a group to better serve the gamers in our networks, and in the region. We hope to play a major regional role as an enabler of e-sports, to collectively grow the gaming ecosystem, and give gamers the support and recognition they deserve.”
He was candid about Singtel’s approach to e-sports. He said, “…it’s very important for people who are gamers, we know we need to be authentic. We need to be real. We cannot try to create ‘gaming’ and try to be fake, try to be different…”
Singtel’s E-sports Initiatives
Singtel kicked off their first foray into the E-Sports realm via their PVP Esports Championship which is a multi-title and regional e-sports league. The event attracted over 3,600 teams competing in both Dota 2 and Arena of Valor for a US$300,000 prize pool, and was broadcast in seven languages – English, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Tagalog and Thai.
To complement the gaming eco-system, Singtel is collaborating with Optus and regional associates Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel to build a host of digital services such as mobile payments and gaming for customers.
Earlier this month, the Singtel Group extended Singtel Dash, its mobile wallet, to be used overseas and announced the launch of VIA, its cross-border mobile payment alliance, with AIS and Kasikornbank, Thailand’s largest digital bank. This payment alliance will be progressively expanded to include other regional associates and non-telcos.
