2. Become the lead connectivity provider
The development of the metaverse and the broadening of virtual worlds are directly tied to connectivity.
5G services are meant to deliver higher multi-gigabits-per-second (multi-Gbps) peak data speeds, ultralow latency, greater reliability and a uniform experience. As 5G networks are commercially deployed, 5G will help consumers and businesses enter the metaverse.
As we approach 2030, the telecom industry is expected to witness another generational shift in wireless technology toward 6G services. 6G data transfer speeds will be higher, and latency will go down – providing further impetus to the metaverse.
The development of the metaverse will also be fueled by fiber connectivity, which delivers high-bandwidth speeds. Going forward, the off-loading of wireless traffic through Wi-Fi 6 – the latest generation of Wi-Fi – will help address network capacity- and efficiency-related challenges.
3. Be positioned to provide edge computing services
The metaverse will require huge amounts of computing power, real-time rendering and AI computing capabilities. The requirements for the underlying computational power are hundreds of times higher than what we have today.
Given the rise in computing requirements, edge computing will be another essential building block in the metaverse. In the future, when millions of people are having continuous virtual experiences in real time, the cloud will not be able to centralize and store all the resources involved.
Due to latency requirements, this data will need to be distributed and made available closer to the point of consumption. This puts operators in a prime position to provide edge computing services and unlock more efficient data transfer, enhance perimeter security, relieve network congestion, and diversify their revenue streams in the process. To succeed, operators should align their edge cloud strategies with their legacy cloud initiatives and ensure they have the right partnerships in place with specialist cloud providers.