Singtel, Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel Align to Grow eSports Ecosystem

Singtel, wholly-owned subsidiary Optus and regional associates Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel, has signed a MoU to cooperate and jointly leverage their strengths to grow the gaming and esports ecosystem in Southeast Asia, Australia and India.

The MOU brings together the six members of the Singtel Group to partner across the gaming space, including scaling up esports, content creation and distribution, and collaboration with the broader gaming ecosystem.

This was announced at the Singtel Group’s inaugural multi-title and regional esports league, PVP Esports Championship, which took place from 5 to 7 October and featured some of the biggest international names in gaming.

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 esports enthusiasts and gamers in their passion.

As more than 200 million customers across the Group play games on a regular basis, Singtel, Optus, Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel intend to work together to develop solutions and services for gamers and fans in the region. This includes access to high quality local, regional, and global esports competitions, as well as original content and exclusive programming.

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 esports, to collectively grow the gaming ecosystem, and give gamers the support and recognition they deserve.”

The number of gamers in the region is projected to surge from 400 million in 2017 to more than 700 million by 2021, with esports viewership numbers expected to double and reach over 40 million by 2019.

Singtel is the organiser and owner of the PVP Esports Championship and the content related to this event, which enables Singtel to distribute the event content globally. 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.

Singtel is collaborating with Optus and regional associates Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel to build an ecosystem 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.