According to Huawei research, the current infrastructure cannot sustain the metaverse

The chief strategist for Huawei's Middle East area stated that networks need fixed throughput, rendering, and download speed problems.

What led to this statement?

According to Chinese telecom giant Huawei (1), 5G and 6G networks may meet the Metaverse's demands even if the existing telecom infrastructure is unable to do so. Abhinav Purohit, the Chief Expert on Business & Strategy Consulting for Huawei's Middle East area, made the remarks in a three-part blog post he released on December 20 on the possibilities of the Metaverse industry and how telecom businesses would fit into the overall picture. Purohit explained that a "metaverse is a communal virtual shared place" that will "enable geographically dispersed people to interact with one another in ways that would not otherwise be possible in the real world." enabling spatially aware, realistic experiences that seamlessly integrate virtual and real worlds for remote players.

He continued that the idea of an open Metaverse is intimately related to the Web3 movement because it would support built-in economics through the use of "digital currencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). He added that a smoothly running virtual sphere would likely require quick advancements in several areas, including download speeds, streaming quality, mobile devices, and Metaverse technology. Several technological developments, according to Purohit, are necessary to create a completely polished and immersive experience. Innovations in video compression, edge computing, cross-layer visibility, and hybrid local and remote real-time rendering will be needed to deliver this kind of experience. He also thinks that Cellular standards modifications, network improvements, and decreased latency between devices and mobile networks are all required.

The problems faced

According to Purohit, the main problems currently impeding metaverse networks are latency (a network's responsiveness), symmetric bandwidth (the speed at which data travels), and quality of experience (network throughput). He claims widespread adoption of "6G networks will enhance speeds by still another order of magnitude, while 5G networks will greatly improve bandwidth while lowering network congestion and latency." According to reports, 5G network speeds can reach 1,000 Megabytes per second compared to a fixed wireless broadband situation (MBps). These rates make it significantly quicker than the 119.03 MBps national average internet speed in the United States (2), according to really fast internet data.

With 501 operators investing in 5G in 153 countries and territories as of August 2022, according to data (3) from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), there does appear to be a considerable push to have 5G fully operational around the world when one looks outside of the Metaverse. GSA's research reveals that 222 501 operators have already introduced 5G mobile services in 89 nations and territories. It remains to be seen if a fully scaled Metaverse can be supported by 5G, given that it hasn't yet been widely deployed and accepted as the global mobile standard.