Singtel inks regional partnership deals to grow e-sports and gaming

Singtel has signed a deal with wholly-owned subsidiary Optus and regional associates Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel, to cooperate and jointly leverage their strengths to grow the gaming and e-sports ecosystem in Southeast Asia, Australia and India. Under the agreement, the six members of the Singtel Group will partner across the gaming space, including scaling up e-sports, content creation and distribution, and collaboration with the broader gaming ecosystem.The group will leverage 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. As more than 200 million customers across the group play games on a regular basis, Singtel, Optus, Airtel, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel intend to collaborate to develop solutions and services for gamers and fans in the region. This includes access to high quality local, regional, and global e-sports competitions, as well as original content and exclusive programmingArthur 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 its 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," Lang said.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 digital bank. This payment alliance will be progressively expanded to include other regional associates and non-telcos.(Photo courtesy: 123RF)Read also: Former Haagen-Dazs marketing lead heads to Singtel Singtel and Razer launch regional e-sports games, eye digital content growth