MANILA - PLDT-Smart Communications demonstrated its 5G technology on Tuesday by launching the first gaming hub in the Philippines which uses the company's next-generation wireless internet connection.

The telco said it deployed Smart 5G at the Gariath Concepts esports venue in Quezon City, with peak speeds hitting 1 Gbps.

“To mark this milestone, Smart gathered esports athletes for the country’s first mobile phone vs PC crossplay exhibition match via cloud gaming. PLDT-Smart Omega athletes, armed with Smart 5G-certified handsets, went toe-to-toe with players from Team LuponWxC using their gaming PCs and played a DoTA 2 match via cloud gaming,” the company said.

PLDT-Smart Omega won the tournament 34-6, it said.

Cloud gaming is a new service that uses broadband connections that allow gamers to play any game on any device with a screen. Cloud gaming - without the need for a gaming console or desktop computer as the games run on cloud servers instead of local devices.

“Our goal is to unlock the many benefits of 5G and make these available to Filipinos. The 5G future is closer than we think as we continue to deploy our 5G network, and make available Smart 5G-certified handsets very soon,” said Jane Basas, senior vice president and head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.

PLDT was supposed to roll out its 5G service this year, but disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic led the telco to push back its target to next year.

It also slashed its planned capital expenditures for this year to P60 billion from P83 billion due to lockdowns that limit mobility of its workers.

PLDT shares also fell in early trading Tuesday after President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to shut down and expropriate the company and its rival Globe Telecom over what he said was poor service.

The shares of the Manny Pangilinan-led telco however recovered before trading closed.

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