Asia

5G Spectrum Auction 2022 – How 5G is going to revolutionize the Indian esports & gaming industry

Published

4 years ago

July 11, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Four companies, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and an Adani Group entity have put in applications to participate in India’s first auction of 5g airwaves starting July 26, 2022. 5G, short for the fifth-generation cellular technology, promises to exponentially raise the speed and data capacity of wireless networks. For data-hungry India, the upcoming 5G auctions will herald another telecom revolution. It goes beyond super-fast downloads and uploads, glitch-free multiplayer video games, live streaming, and real-time gaming.

5G will accelerate esports & video gaming growth in India in multiple ways:

No latency & lag
Multiplayer mobile gaming
Cloud gaming
Growth in user base in tier 2 and tier 3 cities
Unlocking AR & VR opportunity
Video Game live Streaming
High-end game downloads and updates in a jiffy

Inputs shared by esports and video gaming industry stakeholders on how 5G is going to revolutionize the industry:

Animesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO at 8bit Creatives, a leading gaming talent management agency and an ex-esports athlete himself:

Internet penetration and accessibility are the backbones of esports and mobile gaming. With the advent of 5G technology, users will get better connectivity speed which will, in turn, allow them to access and play high-resolution games. The last thing a gamer ever wants is lag, 5G is expected to help us say goodbye to lagging issues, once and for all. The upcoming metaverse, and all virtual reality technology that again would completely elevate the gaming experience, would be facilitated in large parts by 5G. One of the reasons why gaming has become so popular in the last few years is the multiplayer & social experience that games are now able to provide, and 5G is expected to make that even smoother. To be honest, 5G will impact gaming in more ways than one.

Last year, telecom giant, Airtel, hosted India’s first-ever cloud gaming demo on a LIVE Airtel 5G test network, and the results were outstanding. S8UL gamers were among a few to experience it firsthand & I myself also attended the event with the team. Our pro gamers, Mortal aka Naman Mathur and 8bit Mamba aka Salman Ahmad tested cloud gaming on the Airtel 5G test network at Manesar. They used mid-segment smartphones connected to a 3500 MHz high capacity spectrum band, recording speeds of over 1 Gbps and a latency of 10 milliseconds. Both the elite gamers agreed that 5G technology would have an impact on the efficiency and experience of online multiplayer genre games such as battle royale and racing games.

Mr Vishwalok Nath,Director, Esports Premier League:

5G is going to be a transformative step for the gaming industry across the globe. The highlight of this new generation of communication includes even faster download speeds, lower latency, hyper localization, increased network capacity, and better reliability. This leap in new features and innovation will enable game developers and storytellers to work on more immersive and engrossing gaming experiences. Faster downloads mean faster delivery of existing experiences with the ability to get more complex, large, and immersive worlds to the gamers. The industry has already spoken about cloud gaming and the impact of 5G on this technology. Though cloud gaming technology is still in its infancy, it still holds immense potential in democratizing gaming and bringing it to the masses. 5G will ensure a better cloud gaming experience for gamers with the help of Edge computing. It will also allow gamers without high-end gaming systems or hardware to play the latest AAA games.

Besides cloud gaming, 5G will also allow gamers to access newer experiences like AR and VR-based games right from their handheld devices. It is worth noting that it will be a while before 5G reaches the level of adoption we first saw with 4G but the wait will be worth it.

Rohit Agarwal, Founder & Director, Alpha Zegus, the next-gen marketing agency specializing in the domains of gaming & lifestyle:

Data prices (per GB) in India are among the lowest in the world. That, combined with super affordable smartphones starting from INR 5000, has completely revolutionized the gaming industry. We are now living in an era where a Tier-3 kid can enjoy casual gaming in good settings without hiccups.

Coming to 5G, we will see these casual gamers transform into streamers. Gamers from every part of India will be able to access cloud gaming platforms, thereby allowing them to play and enjoy 100s of high-quality games. This, in turn, will allow these gamers to create a niche of their own and start developing communities around them – all in all, creating more content creators & content consumers in the Indian gaming ecosystem.

Lastly, brands will also be able to leverage more complex (and higher quality) advertising innovations, be it in the metaspace or otherwise, since data speeds and usage will be of even lesser concern to the audience.

Mr Sagar Nair, Co-Founder & CEO, Qlan, The Gamer’s Social Network:

At nearly 500 million, India is currently second in terms of smartphone users in the world after China. the launch of the 5G data network will further boost the mobile gaming sector in India. More Data speed = More data transfer. We have heard professional gamers talk about “ping” many times and how it affects their gameplay and how even a slight drop can cost them the game, 5g aims to eliminate the loss of data packets being sent every second. 5G will unlock new economic opportunities and societal benefits which is very good news for Qlan as surfing through the web and social media platforms become very smooth with the introduction of such speed in the market. Even if you have a brief look at 4g, the speeds that it can achieve are better than most people’s wifi and most gamers prefer using a stable mobile data connection compared to choppy wifi. 5g aims to provide users with a consistent and lightning-fast internet connection, on the tap of their fingers which also holds the potential to increase the number of gamers in India. 5G is designed to support a 100x increase in traffic capacity and network efficiency compared to that of 4g. In essence, the mention of 5g technology put a smile on the face of every gamer out there!

Mr Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India& Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation (AESF):

5G is going to bring about a paradigm shift in the cloud gaming sector, the superfast speeds, massive bandwidth and low latency of 5G Ultra Wideband are going to make gaming more collaborative, competitive, affordable and accessible. The advent of 5G is set to be a complete game-changer in every way. With growing smartphone penetration and a vast youth population, 5G-backed cloud gaming could spread to remote areas and offer gamers the right ecosystem to compete and excel in the international arena.

Streaming and watching live games experience will be enhanced with this disruption in technology, Video game updates are another big nightmare for our gamers, and these are not small 5-10 Mb updates, these are like 1 GB updates and it takes ample time to download, with 5G fast speed, the downloads will happen in a jiffy.

Asia

The UAE Lottery joins SAGIP outreach with Philippine Consulate and Infinite Communities

Published

4 days ago

July 2, 2026

Wladimir P.

the-uae-lottery-joins-sagip-outreach-with-philippine-consulate-and-infinite-communities

The UAE Lottery, operated by The Game LLC (a Momentum Group company), participated in the SAGIP community outreach initiative on 28 June, 2026 at the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, alongside the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai and Northern Emirates and Infinite Communities.

SAGIP—“Rescue” in Filipino—was positioned by organisers as an immediate support programme for Filipino community members navigating difficult circumstances. The session combined career coaching, counselling and wellness assessments, alongside distribution of essential grocery packs.

The programme also drew voluntary support from local Filipino businesses, HR practitioners, medical and healthcare professionals, psychologists and community volunteers, according to the organisers.

Consul Aleah Marie Gica said: “The Filipino community in the UAE has always demonstrated resilience and unity during difficult times. Community outreach programs such as SAGIP reflect the strength of collaboration between institutions and community organisations working together to support those most in need.”

Elena C. Cruz, Founder and CEO of Infinite Communities, said: “Through our Good Neighbour initiative and our collaboration with The UAE Lottery and the Philippine Consulate, we hope to create a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered to move forward with dignity and confidence.”

Suzan Kazzi, Associate Director of CSR at Momentum – The UAE Lottery, added: “At a time when many members of the Filipino community are facing various challenges, we aim to provide not only immediate relief through grocery pack distribution, but also pathways toward resilience and renewed opportunities. Through our HR specialists who volunteered their time and expertise, the career coaching sessions were designed to help beneficiaries navigate uncertainty, regain confidence, and reconnect with employment opportunities through practical advice and guidance.”

The post The UAE Lottery joins SAGIP outreach with Philippine Consulate and Infinite Communities appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

appointments

OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion

Published

1 week ago

June 26, 2026

Wladimir P.

os-studios-names-ishaan-arya-country-manager-to-lead-india-expansion

OS Studios has appointed Ishaan Arya as Country Manager for India, tasking him with leading the agency’s expansion across newly established hubs in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Mumbai. The appointment was announced on 25 June, 2026 in Bengaluru.

OS Studios, a Project Worldwide agency, said it recently entered the Indian market and will deploy its ‘Fan Z’ approach for brands looking to engage with gaming, esports and live events audiences in South Asia. The company said the expansion will leverage the infrastructure and production capabilities of sister agency George P. Johnson (GPJ) India.

“The future of gaming will be shaped by the communities that care about it most, and few markets embody that more than India,” said John Higgins, CEO of OS Studios. “To build something meaningful, you have to be part of the culture, not looking in from the outside. Ishaan understands that better than anyone. He’s exactly the kind of leader we want building the future of OS Studios in India.”

In the role, Arya will oversee operations, drive strategic brand partnerships, and scale local capabilities, according to the company. “Brands are investing heavily in Indian gaming, but true fan experience is too often an afterthought,” said Rasheed Sait, Chief Growth Officer for India and South Asia at Project Worldwide. “Alongside GPJ India’s experiential footprint, OS Studios will set a new standard for fan engagement in the region.”

Arya previously co-founded The Esports Club and most recently served as Vice President of Partnerships at Nodwin Gaming, where he led Comic Con India. “A massive gap remains between brand intent and authentic community engagement in India,” said Arya. “I’m thrilled to leverage Project Worldwide and GPJ India’s operational strength to build culture-defining experiences for brands and fans alike.”

The post OS Studios names Ishaan Arya country manager to lead India expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Asia

PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion

Published

2 weeks ago

June 25, 2026

Wladimir P.

philweb-secures-₱202-billion-strategic-investment-from-lance-y.-gokongwei-to-accelerate-ai-driven-technology-expansion

PhilWeb Corporation, a Philippine Stock Exchange-listed technology company serving licensed digital entertainment and gaming platforms, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement for a ₱2.02 billion strategic equity investment by prominent business leader Lance Y. Gokongwei.

The investment marks a significant milestone in PhilWeb’s transformation into an AI-enabled technology infrastructure company serving the regulated digital entertainment sector. Beyond the capital infusion, PhilWeb expects to benefit from Mr. Gokongwei’s strategic perspective, institutional experience and extensive business network as the Company strengthens its long-term technology roadmap and growth strategy.

Strategic Capital Infusion for AI and Technology Expansion

Under the definitive agreement, Mr. Gokongwei will invest an aggregate amount of ₱2,026,978,840.00 in PhilWeb. The strategic placement will be facilitated through a proposed increase in the Company’s Authorised Capital Stock from ₱2.6 billion to ₱3.6 billion, subject to the required corporate, stockholder and regulatory approvals.

The proceeds are intended to strengthen PhilWeb’s balance sheet and support the integration of advanced data and AI capabilities across its core technology roadmap:

• Enhanced Risk Management and Compliance Systems: Developing intelligent platform tools to support real-time risk scoring, transaction monitoring, suspicious activity detection and responsible gaming controls.

• Data Analytics and Platform Intelligence: Building secure data models designed to interpret user behaviour, optimise player lifecycle management and improve platform operating efficiency.

• Intelligent Recommendation and Retention Tools: Investing in automated recommendation engines to help licensed operators improve content discovery, platform performance and user engagement.

• Operational Automation: Enhancing internal and partner-facing systems through automation tools to optimise compliance workflows, reporting and high-throughput platform monitoring.

Strengthening PhilWeb’s Technology Moat

The transaction reflects growing investor interest in scalable technology infrastructure serving regulated digital entertainment ecosystems. PhilWeb has established a strong market footprint across the Philippine digital gaming and entertainment ecosystem, working with leading licensed operators, integrated resorts and platform partners including Hann Casino, Okada Manila, Newport World Resorts, NUSTAR Resort and Casino, FBM Philippines and PT Gaming. The integration of next-generation AI tools is expected to further strengthen PhilWeb’s domestic B2B infrastructure layer, enabling the Company to deliver greater operational efficiency, stronger compliance support and more scalable platform capabilities to its ecosystem partners while evaluating potential regional growth opportunities over time as market and regulatory conditions permit.

Management Perspective

“We are profoundly honored to welcome Lance Y. Gokongwei as a strategic anchor investor in PhilWeb. His investment represents a strong endorsement of our technology platform and long-term vision. Data intelligence and automated compliance tools are becoming essential layers of modern digital infrastructure. With Lance’s strategic investment and business network, PhilWeb is well-positioned to expand our AI technology roadmap, serve our established ecosystem of leading partners more efficiently, and evaluate long-term growth opportunities,” said Edgar Brian K. Ng, President of PhilWeb Corporation.

The post PhilWeb Secures ₱2.02 Billion Strategic Investment from Lance Y. Gokongwei to Accelerate AI-Driven Technology Expansion appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.