2022 in review: Telcos marvel at the metaverse

The metaverse hype cycle spun a bit out of control in 2022, but that didn't stop the telecom industry from putting some of its hopes and dreams into it.

The Staff, Light Reading

December 27, 2022

2 Min Read
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Interactive television, 3D-TV, virtual reality, augmented reality. The hype that inflated these highly touted technologies and services all but assured they would fall well short of expectations. Is the so-called "metaverse" next in line to get caught in the spokes of the tech world's hype cycle?

It's unlikely that the metaverse will become the next big thing that Meta/Facebook hopes it will be. But some variant of the core idea – a shared, immersive, persistent virtual digital world where people can experience many things they might not be able to do in the physical world – will probably take hold in the years to come.

Fulfilling that vision, even in part, will require a lot of new technologies and capabilities, including some that will comprise the wireless and wired networks of the future. Networks will need to deliver not only much faster data speeds, but also improved security and super-low latency – precisely the attributes being touted by 5G (and the coming 6G standard) as well as the cable industry's DOCSIS 4.0 platform and broader 10G initiative.

While the metaverse ideals envisioned by some in Big Tech will no doubt miss the mark, there's enough activity and investment pouring into it to get the telecom industry's attention.

There's still no telling how the metaverse will actually take shape, but here's a roundup of stories that shaped Light Reading's coverage of the topic in 2022:

Figure 1:  (Source: ZUMA Press Inc/Alamy Stock Photo)
(Source: ZUMA Press Inc/Alamy Stock Photo)

1/6/22 - 5G networks will help make the metaverse real
(Phil Harvey, Editor-in-Chief)

1/19/22 - A metaverse-loving Microsoft brings a dystopia for telcos
(Iain Morris, International Editor)

3/1/22 - The next telco worry is paying for the metaverse
(Iain Morris, International Editor)

3/1/22 - Why 5G is uniquely ill-equipped to support the metaverse
(Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies)

3/2/22 - SKT taking its metaverse platform to the world
(Robert Clark, Contributing Editor)

3/4/22 - Verizon's 5G opportunities: First FWA, then edge, then the metaverse
(Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies)

5/25/22 - Meta's engineering director outlines the metaverse latency problem
(Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies)

6/17/22 - NTT Docomo takes the metaverse plunge
(Robert Clark, Contributing Editor)

6/23/22 - Dr. FAANG and the metaverse of madness
(Iain Morris, International Editor)

9/27/22 - Cable broadband: More than a speed saga
(Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor)

10/28/22 - FYUZ wrap: Open RAN in denial and a dose of metaverse envy
(Iain Morris, International Editor)

The Staff, Light Reading

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