Nokia To Deliver The First-ever Esports Event Over Wi-Fi Technology: The Nokia Apex Legends Invitational Tournament

Nokia announced it is working with several eGaming industry leaders, including SCUF and Oversight Esports, to host the Nokia Apex Legends Invitation Tournament. This is the first-ever Esports event to use Wi-Fi instead of ethernet-based connectivity. The charity event will feature 20 teams of professional and amateur players worldwide competing over Wi-Fi. 

Nokia’s Wi-Fi Beacon 10, built on the Qualcomm® Networking Pro Series platforms, embeds unique latency and queuing technology to give service providers a powerful Wi-Fi gateway solution that can rival any commercial and retail device on the market. For customers, the Beacon provides the ultimate end-user experience, delivering gaming-level latency that optimizes performance.

For NoaNet (Northwest Open Access Network), Washington State’s premier public-owned fiber optic broadband network, a premium Wi-Fi experiences delivered by products like the Nokia Beacon are essential to enable additional revenue-generating services. “Getting high-capacity fiber access to the homes and businesses of our customers across the Pacific Northwest is only half the battle,” said John Smith, Chief Technology Officer. “We must also ensure they have reliable, high-performing whole-home Wi-Fi coverage. Nokia’s world-class Beacon technology is an excellent example that does this, and for some, it’s literally changing the game, allowing those that live in rural areas to effectively compete with professional gamers from around the world in competitive Esports like Apex Legends.” 

All participants in the Apex Challenge tournament will receive Nokia’s Beacon Wi-Fi gateway, custom SCUF controllers, and a cloud gaming subscription. Players will self-install the gateway in their homes to establish the Wi-Fi connection needed to access the game. Once online, gamers play in a “hide-and-seek” style event. 

Edwin Jung, CEO of Oversight Esports, said: “I never thought something like this would be possible. If you’re a gamer, every millisecond counts and lag spikes can often be the difference between a win or a loss. That’s primarily why most gamers opt for a hard-wired connection when 

playing or competing. Nokia is literally changing the game, with Wi-Fi technology that can meet the bandwidth and consistent latency requirements we need to be competitive.” 

Ganesh Swaminathan, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless Infrastructure and Networking, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Nokia and other industry leaders to bring the first-ever Esports event over Wi-Fi technology with the Nokia Apex Legends Invitational Tournament. Powering Nokia’s Beacon portfolio of Wi-Fi 6, 6E, and 7 devices, Qualcomm Networking Pro Series platforms, with its service-defined architecture, deliver deterministic Wi-Fi latency and the superior stability essential for gaming enthusiasts. This event showcases the power of Wi-Fi in providing a seamless and high-performing gaming experience and highlights the transformative potential of Nokia’s Beacon technology.” 

Gino Dion, Nokia's Head of Innovation Solutions, said: “Running an Esports event like this targeting specifically pro-players playing over Wi-Fi was long thought to be impossible. Today, we’re showing it can be done. Our Beacon 10 device is a game changer, giving service providers the ability to offer advanced Wi-Fi gaming, latency, and performance management features that rival other devices on the market. We’re excited to work alongside EA Sports and other gaming industry leaders such as Oversight Esports and SCUF, to deliver this industry-first tournament-style event run over Wi-Fi.”!” 

The event will be streamed live by the participants on multiple platforms such as Twitch, Kick, X, and YouTube, and will feature live narration by the talented DisguisedToast and NiceWigg, two popular Apex Legends content creators and commentators. It will also include a freestyle rap performance by Harry Mack, a world-renowned rapper who will create an original track on the fly during the event. Winners of the tournament will receive $25K as a total award to be distributed to a charity of their choice.

Source: Nokia media announcement