Telstra introduced AR features to its Australian football streaming app, seeking to boost user interaction in the service, as the operator continued to expand its sports coverage portfolio.

In a statement, Telstra said the AR options debuted in its AFL Live Official app were a world-first, bringing “a totally immersive way to view and interact with each club’s line-up” for forthcoming games.

The set-up offers views of specific players and related statistics: Telstra pitched it as a way to stay close to the action despite restrictions on attending matches due to Covid-19 (coronavirus), providing “professional-grade tools” to fans.

Telstra noted 5G would deliver further enhancements to its AR offering, explaining it would go “one step further” than employing the technology’s speed and bandwidth improvements, by turning “experiences that have been teased for years” into reality.

The operator previously integrated LTE-Broadcast (LTE-B) into the app, launching a service in 2018 as part of broader backing for the technology.