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Hong Kong is waiting for the Pokemon Go game to be launched in the city. Photo: Reuters

On the go: Hong Kong mobile phone operators offer unlimited data to play Pokemon Go

The only problem is that the creator of the game has set no concrete date for its launch in Hong Kong

Pokemon Go

Hong Kong mobile phone operators CSL and 1010 will offer customers free unlimited data to play augmented reality smartphone game Pokemon Go once the game launches officially in Hong Kong.

The Pokemon Go game, developed by US-based company Niantic, gained widespread popularity upon its launch earlier this month.

The location-based game is somewhat similar to Nintendo’s Game Boy versions of Pokemon, which is short for Pocket Monsters. Players hunt for Pokemon in their city and are able to catch, battle and trade their creatures with other players.

While Pokemon Go has been launched in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most parts of Europe, the game has yet to land in Asia. While Niantic has allocated servers to Hong Kong, there is no concrete launch date yet.

“We foresee that Pokemon Go popularity will take off once this new sensation is launched in Hong Kong and we are making this offer available so our customers can play the game for hours on end without having to worry about mobile data consumption,” CSL Mobile chief marketing officer Bruce Lam said.

Data used by customers within the Pokemon Go app will not count towards users’ monthly data caps, according to a 1010 customer service officer who spoke to the Post.

Jennifer Tan, chief operating officer of Hutchison Telecommunications, which operates mobile services under the brand “3”, said the company would “closely monitor the latest development of the market and would offer customers innovative products and services at the right time”.

The brand is offering its customers three 30-minute sessions of free Wi-fi each day at any of its over 20,000 hot spots from now until the end of September. This will allow people to play Pokemon Go outdoors without affecting their mobile data caps.

The Post also contacted SmarTone and China Mobile Hong Kong, but both companies were unavailable to comment on whether similar services would be offered to customers.

Pokemon Go has become a social phenomenon since its launch, with millions of users downloading the app within days of its launch on July 6.

Earlier this week, intelligence firm Sensor Tower estimated that the game had generated US$35 million in revenue from 30 million worldwide downloads, as players spent money to purchase Pokecoins, the game’s digital currency which is required to buy certain items in the game.

Popular items include “Lures”, which when used lure Pokemon temporarily to a certain area, or Pokeballs, which are used to catch wild Pokemon.

The game is expected to kickstart new forms of advertising, where stores can choose to become a “sponsored location”. Retailers and other firms would pay Niantic for specific locations to become a “Pokemon gym”, which are locations for users to battle or train their Pokemon. In return, the location will see increased traffic from customers, thereby increasing sales potential.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: expectant pokemon go fans already win with free data
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