Vodafone Samoa hosted its first-ever mobile eSport tournament in Samoa on Friday which will run for the next four weeks.

The telecommunication company’s extensive 4G coverage would play a crucial part in the tournament “Vodafone PUBG Mobile Solo Championships", which would see PUBG enthusiasts logging in to play from all over Samoa. 

The tournament started last Friday and will run every Thursday, Friday and Sunday at 8pm local time for the next four weeks.

The first event will be a solo championship with 100 players vying to be the last man standing. There will also be duo and squad tournaments in the coming weeks. 

The tournament is made up of a series of online-only qualifiers and is open to any compatible Android or iOS mobile device accessed through an internet connection.

Vodafone Samoa Chief Executive Officer, Nofoasaefa Satish Sharma, said the tournament will show the capabilities of Vodafone's real-time 4G network. 

"The Vodafone PUBG Mobile Solo Championships is the perfect opportunity to show the gaming fans the potential of Vodafone’s real-time 4G network with low latency and UltraFast speeds enabling players to reach new levels of gaming performance on mobile devices anywhere,” said Nofoasaefa.  

“As interest and participation in eSports continue to grow exponentially, many of the key skills and aspects across gaming are useful and transferable skills in the digital workplace.”

“We believe in the rise of mobile eSports and are thrilled to work with such an amazing partner as Jermaine to help put Samoa on the map of gaming in the Pacific.

“And most of all to celebrate the fact we are near the completion of installing 100 4G sites across Samoa. We have by far the widest coverage (4G Sites) than any other telecom in Samoa.”

Jermaine Stewart acknowledged his family and friends for their support in the work that he does and more so Vodafone for recognising his work and joining forces with him. 

“We are building a bridge between hardcore eSports enthusiasts and casual gamers,” said Stewart.

“And I would like to thank my family for the support, my friends, my most respectable and loving boss Sally Chan Mow for believing in my work and passion.

“But most importantly I would like to thank Vodafone Samoa for believing in me and the vision I have to make eSports Samoan players well known across the Pacific. 

“Your support has helped me reach yet another goal.” 

For week 1 there is a total prize pool of $400 tala worth of credits for placing finalists 1st: $150 credit for the triumphant PUBG Mobile player, followed by 2nd: $100 credit, 3rd: $75 credit and the MVP $50 credit.  

There is also a reward for the person with the most viewers of their live stream of $25 tala credit. For the next three weeks, prizes will vary from credit to cash to UC (in-game coin rewards).

The new Battle Pass Gaming Bundles enables players to play their favourites:  PUBG, COD, Fortnite, XBOX and PS4. For interested players who want to register, they must follow and send a message to the admin of the PUBG Samoa Pro League Series Facebook Page.