Ericsson, Intel and Telstra stage 5G mobile eSports demo

telstra ericsson intel esports
Image credit: Ericsson

Australian gamers and eSports fans got a taste of how 5G could transform mobile gaming in an ultra-low latency demo staged this week by Ericsson, Intel and Telstra on Australia’s Gold Coast.

According to Ericsson, the demo generated data latency rates of 5-6ms – about four times lower than current average 4G latency speeds – as professional Australian eSports gamers The Chiefs experienced pro gaming over 5G. The demo was carried out live on games streaming platform Twitch.

With leagues and tournaments worldwide, eSports has a fanbase of tens of millions via live events and streaming – a fanbase that is growing rapidly.

Ericsson’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Emilio Romeo, said the Gold Coast event, held at Telstra’s 5G Innovation Centre, showed how 5G’s ultra-low latency and high throughput can deliver greater efficiency and mobility across numerous uses.

“We’ve partnered with Telstra and Intel to deliver eSports professionals an unrivalled gaming experience with 5G, allowing them to play in a mobile setting while having the low latency they can only get today from a wireline network,” he said.

The demonstration used Ericsson’s 5G test environment which implements and validates the technologies being standardized through 3GPP to implement 5G. mmWave connectivity inside the 5G Innovation Centre was used to power the demo, while Intel provided its 5G Mobile Trial Platform.

Telstra executive director network and infrastructure engineering Channa Seneviratne said the gaming demo is a real-life example of how 5G might be used in the future. “Latency … is crucial in the world of gaming when milliseconds can literally mean the difference between winning and losing.”

Jonathan Wood, senior director of 5G Market Development and Partnerships for Intel’s Next Generation and Standards group, added that eSports is “a prime example of a use case that gets significantly better with faster speeds, ultra-low latency, and massive capacity.”

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