Australian telecommunications company Optus has announced a major partnership with Australian internet service provider Pentanet, in order to deliver the cloud gaming service, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, to Optus customers. While the service is already available for players in Australia, a newly-developed program will reportedly enable a ‘superior experience’ for GeForce NOW subscribers utilising the Optus 5G network.
The new service will launch in the second half of 2023, and will see GeForce NOW being directly integrated into the Optus SubHub subscription management platform. It appears this will be an expansion of the cheaper Pentanet GeForce membership plan, which currently offers a subscription for around AU $3.49 a month – although firm prices for this newer program are yet to be confirmed.
Given a major issue with the general adoption of cloud gaming in Australia is slow internet speeds, this partnership could be a positive sign of change. Optus appears enthusiastic about supporting this technology into the future – and the initiative could lead to wider adoption.
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‘Our mission is to break down the barriers to gaming and offer our customers the freedom to play anywhere and anytime,’ Matt Williams, Optus Managing Director of Marketing and Revenue said of the Pentanet partnership, in a press release. ‘Cloud gaming is an ideal example for 5G in the home and on the go, given the need for high speed, low latency connectivity, and we are excited that we will be able to offer that to our customers very soon.’
‘This is a big step towards solidifying our position in the gaming market, being the wholesale digital distribution channel for GeForce NOW in our territories,’ Stephen Cornish, Pentanet Managing Director said. ‘I’m looking forward to working closely with Optus and putting this game-changing platform into the hands of new users.’
A focus on convenience and flexibility should bode well for customers, but we’ll have to wait to see plans for this rollout unveiled. For now, it appears Optus and Pentanet are committed to evolving cloud gaming for the future. Stay tuned to hear more about subscription options, GeForce NOW pricing through Optus, and other additional features.
