Pokemon Go officially launched in five South Asian countries, as app maker Niantec also announced partnerships with Reliance Jio in India and Sprint and Starbucks in the US.

Users in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will finally be able to officially play the game.

“We appreciate your patience during the last few months while we worked on bringing Pokemon Go to your country. The Niantic team had to resolve a few administrative challenges before launching in order to ensure we could provide the best experience possible,” the firm said in a statement.

Niantec also said Reliance Jio, a relatively new operator in India, has disrupted the country’s digital services space by providing 4G at very affordable prices, and it is “excited to join them on this journey”.

During Jio’s “Happy New Year” offer, subscribers will be able to download and play Pokemon Go without incurring data charges.

In addition, 3,000 Jio stores and partner locations will become ‘PokeStops’ and ‘gyms’ that users can visit to collect items and battle.

Meanwhile, the same will happen in the US at 10,500 Sprint locations and 7,800 Starbucks stores.

Sprint is the app maker’s first US partner. As part of this collaboration, Sprint, Boost Mobile and Sprint at Radioshack stores will become PokeStops and Gyms, “giving you even more places to stock up on Poke Balls and Razz Berries and to battle your friends”.

Sprint locations will also feature in-store charging stations to keep Pokemon Go sessions going even longer, and will bring “a great network and an unlimited data plan to support your search for Pokemon”.

This deal was followed by a partnership with Starbucks, which wants to give players “even more places to play and to engage with their local Pokemon Go communities”, and is creating a “special-edition” Pokemon Go Frappucino.

By locating a Starbucks store within the game, players will discover the beverage, the app maker explained.

“Starbucks has a long-standing commitment to providing spaces for social interaction and real-world community building in its extensive network of locations,” a statement on the Pokemon Go website said.