Intersection Of Metaverse & Telecommunication Industry

By Vishakha Thakur

Telecom operators stand to benefit greatly from participating in the metaverse would greatly benefit telecom operators. They can use this virtual environment to improve the customer experience, monetize investments through adjacent services, and increase operational efficiency.

To fully realise the potential of the metaverse, telcos must build on their existing communication service provider business while also expanding into new capabilities and services. If businesses are to remain relevant and deliver in the metaverse, their approach to creating and capturing value must also change.

How will telecom providers power the metaverse?

The metaverse provides a unique chance for businesses to forge new paths to success in this immersive virtual reality. To fully realise the potential of the metaverse, telcos must look beyond traditional capabilities and services.

• Lead the development of human interface hardware
• Become the leading connectivity provider
• Be prepared to deliver edge computing services
• Enhance advanced analytics and AI capabilities to boost income
• Place cybersecurity, privacy, and trust at the centre of metaverse services
• Develop metaverse platforms
• Become an important orchestrator of the ecology
• Using experience to envision the future

How will the metaverse affect the telecom industry?

Telecom corporations are beginning to grasp their potential. Telcos, including Japan’s NTT DoCoMo, South Korea’s SK Telecom, the United States’ AT&T, and Turkey’s Vodafone, have already announced Metaverse initiatives.

SK Telecom

SK Telecom unveiled its metaverse platform Ifland in July 2021, concentrating on services like social VR and Virtual Meet-ups, built for the 5G future. The Ifland metaverse domain had more than a million monthly active users within a year.

NTT DoCoMo

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has created a new metaverse technology that allows characters in a 3D online world to mimic the movements of their users. They contain facial expressions; for example, when users blink or smile, their avatars react in real time. The technology also allows users to match their physical movements with their avatars, mimicking hitting and kicking. This tool can help improve customer service and make online events more engaging.

AT & T

AT&T and esports organisation 100 Thieves have collaborated to build the AT&T Station, a virtual reality venue within the VR platform VR Chat. The AT&T Station experience is incredibly immersive, consisting of a succession of virtual rooms surrounded by water and a starfield that evokes images of outer space. There are two levels, where users may camp out around virtual hot tubs and campfires or grab a box of VR popcorn before entering a movie room containing Warner Media blockbusters including The Suicide Squad.

Vodafone

Vodafone Turkey plans to launch its first metaverse store. The Vodafone Metaverse Store will open in Decentraland, allowing users to conveniently access Vodafone products and services in a virtual environment. This will mark the opening of the first metaverse store in any nation within the Vodafone Group. The Vodafone Metaverse Store will have dedicated areas for hosting campaigns for Vodafone’s brands, such as Red and FreeZone, as well as places for environmental, social, and governance projects. Tobi, the company’s personal digital assistant, will welcome customers to the store.

What opportunities does the Metaverse provide for telcos?

Partnerships & Collaboration

Telcos could consider creating ‘Metaverse bundles’ that combine their AR and VR gadgets with existing mobile and internet packages. This would enable telecoms to both onboard new Metaverse subscribers and secure current ones, generating significant value. Furthermore, given the substantial costs associated with the necessary infrastructure advancements, telcos will struggle to cover these costs without external investment.

Advanced Analytics & AI

Telecom companies’ prior familiarity with big data will provide them with an advantage when selecting how to store, analyse, and reuse the massive volumes of data generated within the Metaverse. This will be a massive opportunity. To open up new revenue and monetization opportunities, telcos must use the proper analytics to extract the most useful insights. Telcos will also need to use AI to obtain and process vast amounts of data quickly. For example, they might explore using AI helpers.

What challenges does the Metaverse provide for telcos?

Infrastructure Investment

Building the infrastructure to support the Metaverse and bring it into consumers’ homes will require significant investment by telcos. They’ll have to pay for the construction of new data centres, investments in new technology and storage, and upgrades to existing systems and networks.

Security and Privacy

Telcos must maintain their reputation as trusted data custodians outside the Metaverse while still ensuring privacy, identity authentication, and data management within it.

Interoperability

The Metaverse will be implemented on a variety of systems and platforms. Telcos must ensure that they can connect and communicate seamlessly across different channels. Establishing industrial collaborations can help with this effort.

Hence, the Metaverse will transform the telecommunications industry, but it will necessitate significant infrastructure investment, and their success will be dependent on their ability to select the right partners, develop innovative revenue-generating initiatives, and act before hyperscalers beat them to it.

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