'Pokemon Go' to spur mobile data usage

'Pokemon Go' to spur mobile data usage

A woman plays the augmented-reality game 'Pokemon Go' as others use an ATM at a branch of Sberbank in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. REUTERS
A woman plays the augmented-reality game 'Pokemon Go' as others use an ATM at a branch of Sberbank in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. REUTERS

TrueMove is counting on the Pokemon Go phenomenon to spur incremental mobile data usage among its customers playing the augmented-reality game.

The country's third-largest mobile operator plans to roll out a series of attractive data plans once the company releases its localised Pokemon version for the Thai market, potentially in September.

True, through its subsidiary True Content and Media, won the rights in 2014 to exclusively sell Pokemon items and develop a localised version of Pokemon video games with characters and themes unique to Thailand.

Pokemon Go is a game that uses a mobile phone's GPS and clock to detect where and when you are in the game and make Pokemon "appear" around you (on your phone screen) so you can go and catch them.

As you move around, different types of Pokemon will appear depending on where you are and what time it is. The idea is to encourage you to travel around the real world to catch Pokemon.

Pokemon Go was created by Niantic, a San Francisco spin-off of Google parent Alphabet and the maker of a similar augmented-reality game called Ingress. The Pokemon concept was popularised by Nintendo, part of the Japanese consortium that owns the characters.

"We expect to see a significant leap in overall mobile data usage in the final quarter of 2016, driven largely by the release of our localised Pokemon games in Thailand," said Suphachai Chearavanont, chief executive of True Corporation, the parent of TrueMove.

Mr Suphachai is upbeat that Pokemon Go will get a warm reception from mobile users in Thailand, with TrueMove capitalising on the business opportunity.

He said Pokemon Go is the first gaming application that smoothly blends online and offline spheres as players wander the real world, eyes glued to their smartphone screens, in search of digital monsters and interacting with other players in the same location.

Pokemon Go is also an essential step towards bringing advanced digital skills to connecting the digital platform to the physical world, Mr Suphachai said.

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