We recently discussed how the global rollout of 5G will affect India and whether or not it’ll make a difference. It was also found that 75 percent of operators will soon trial 5G technology at sports arenas. Now, it’s believed that network operators in India are currently deploying new 5G services for sports stadium owners and tournament organisers.
The move comes as a power play from network operators who stand to become vital players in the sports and esports industry. What this means is we can expect to see the early use of 5G in India through IPL which is considered India’s biggest sporting event and this will allow operators to create new enterprise services based on 5G technologies.
A research was conducted by Ovum for Amdocs which has revealed that 100 percent of the Indian operators are now taking part in the study plan which will offer 5G and IoT technology to tournament organisers for better stadium management. 75 percent of these operators also look to better the in-stadium experience for fans when present during a sporting event. With this development, a fan in a stadium will soon have the ability to order food and beverages via their smartphone.
The survey also details that the commercial benefits of supporting 5G will involve an increase in subscriber acquisition and average revenue per user. Operators are also expecting 5G to impact various sport-related businesses including media to boom as we head toward the jump to 5G.
Indian operators will look to capitalise on their 5G investments by relying on industry partnerships related to sports and esports events and also partnering with broadcasters and OTT service providers to deliver sports content to viewers. The operators are also looking at virtual reality to play a part in boosting their user base as they look to partner with virtual reality App providers.
Speaking about their latest take on 5G, Amdocs CMO, Gary Miles said “Operators see both short-term benefits in supporting sports with 5G, including growth in subscriber acquisition and ARPU, as well as longer-term benefits, such as enhanced brand appeal among younger demographics. Furthermore, working with new types of partners on 5G and sports will give operators a vital role in a new digital business ecosystem. Out of a multitude of potential 5G use cases, our research shows that sports and esports are certainly among the most compelling”.
Ovum’s Intelligent Networks team Senior Analyst, Julian Bright also commented saying “Given the massive investments that operators are pumping into 5G, their ability to monetise 5G to the fullest will be critical. To succeed in that, they need to keep sight of the commercial drivers and priorities when designing, planning and deploying their new networks and services. They also need to ensure their IT environment can support the new architectures, standards and business models. According to our research, extensive systems upgrade and replacement, as well as re-skilling of staff, will most likely be required to manage this exciting, yet complex transition”.