Philippine mobile services provider Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) announced its global partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

Under this four-year partnership, Smart is granted exclusivity in the category of telecommunications worldwide. The agreement also provides key commercial rights across all FIBA competitions, including the men’s and women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, FIBA Continental Cups for both men and women, FIBA Youth World Cups, the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022, and FIBA’s pinnacle event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023.

With 5G technology, Smart will play an essential role in the activities going into and during the much-awaited global basketball event. For the first time, the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 is set to take place across three nations: the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan, from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, 2023. The Group Phase will be held across all three host countries, with the Final Phase to follow in Manila, Philippines. FIBA and Smart will work together to create a wide array of exciting experiences for both athletes and fans around the world.

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Smart is also supporting FIBA’s “Don’t Miss A Beat Challenge” with athletes from Gilas Pilipinas, TNT Tropang Giga, NLEX Road Warriors, Ateneo Blue Eagles, San Beda Red Lions, and other celebrities, as well as and other exciting activities leading up to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

This alliance comes after the strong finish of Gilas Pilipinas in Manama, Bahrain, resulting in the Philippines holding the top spot in Group A.

The Philippines will also host the last window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers in February, along with Japan, Qatar, and Bahrain.