RIYADH: Saudi telecom operator Zain has been awarded the top spot for best video game response times, according to a new report compiled by Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC).
In results for the first three months of 2021, Zain outperformed Mobily, Saudi Telecom Co. (STC), and Integrated Telecom Co. (ITC) when response times in major games were put to the test.
The popular games included in the study were “Fortnite,” “FIFA 21,” “Apex Legends” and “Dota 2.”
For “Fortnite,” Zain scored an average response time of 18 milliseconds, followed by STC (20 milliseconds), Mobily (22 milliseconds) and ITC (24 milliseconds).
In soccer video game “FIFA,” Zain also took the top spot with an average response time of 13 milliseconds, followed by STC (20 milliseconds) and Mobily (23 milliseconds).
Zain was also the best performer in the games “Apex Legends,” a battle royale game, and “Dota 2,” with average response times of 13 milliseconds and 20 milliseconds, respectively.
Across different platforms, ITC was the fastest fixed network, Mobily was best for the mobile market and Zain took the lead for the fastest average 5G time.
The Saudi gaming market boomed in 2020 as more people turned to their controllers and joysticks to pass the time during a year of lockdowns.
The gaming market in the Kingdom is estimated to be worth SR2.6 billion ($690 million) and its growth rate is among the highest in the world. The market is expected to reach SR9.5 billion by the end of the decade.
