Telstra, Intel and Ericsson have jointly demonstrated the potential for 5G technology to transform the burgeoning eSports market.
The companies demonstrated one of the world's first eSports professional gaming experiences over 5G during a trial at Telstra's 5G Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Pro eSports team The Chiefs helped demonstrate the technical capabilities of 5G including ultra-low latency of just 5-6 milliseconds, four times lower than the average latency of 5G.
The matches were streamed live to other gamers around the world on popular game streaming service Twitch.
Telstra, Intel and Ericsson used the mmWave wireless connectivity within Telstra's innovation center, an Ericsson 5G base station and core network and Intel's 5G Mobile Trial Platform for the demonstration.
“[Low latency] is crucial in the world of gaming when milliseconds can literally mean the difference between winning and losing,” Telstra executive director for network and infrastructure engineering Channa Seneviratne said.
“eSports demonstrates how that is possible over 5G, a benefit of the new technology that will underpin a host of use cases, including autonomous cars, drones and remote control of machinery.”
The announcement came in the same week that Ooredoo Myanmar announced a partnership with Myanmar's first eSports center Halls of Gamers (HOG) to provide high-speed connectivity for competitors.