We increasingly hear the term “metaverse,” but what does it really mean, and how will it be used?
Some say it refers to an expanded, centralized set of digital worlds that will grow out of the digital environments with which we are already familiar, such as those used for online gaming. Others take a different view, suggesting the metaverse should be a decentralized, blockchain-based ecosystem that empowers users to create open source applications of their own choosing, and to engage in digital commerce.
The metaverse, along with other technologies, is shaping the connectivity and telecom industries heading into 2023. The need for better global connectivity, as well as many other challenges in connectivity and telecommunications, are factors that drive the work of the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) in this industry.
#1: The metaverse
The metaverse is the latest technology trend capturing public attention. Metaverse as a concept was coined by author Neal Stephenson in his science fiction novel, Snow Crash, published in 1992. He imagines an immersive virtual world where humans live lives outside of physical reality. Today’s technology is trying to recreate some of the elements the author imagined.
The metaverse will impact the future of our digital world, but when it comes to fruition and what it will include are yet to be agreed upon. What we do know is that virtual technology is a key component, enabling immersive communication experiences through location and context-aware digital services, as well as sensory experiences, such as truly immersive extended reality (XR) and high-fidelity holograms. We can hope that virtual reality (VR), which usually requires a cumbersome headset, will be replaced with augmented reality (AR).
Designing and building metaverse environments come with many challenges, ranging from technical issues to socio-technical considerations. IEEE SA is at the forefront of developing a sweeping range of metaverse-related standards and resources to address these challenges.
As the metaverse continues to converge diverse technologies and evolve into new applications, we can expect it will have a profound impact on our daily work, play, and life across all industries and sectors, reshaping the economy and society for all humankind.
#2: Evolution of 6G, including Wi-Fi
6G, as the name suggests, is the sixth generation of mobile connectivity. Beyond 5G, the next generation of mobile communication systems is expected to have features that contribute to the creation of sustainable and new value, such as ultra-low power consumption, ultra-security and reliability, autonomy, and scalability.
Beyond the obvious needs to amplify applications for better connectivity and performance, including the increase in adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in numerous applications across all industry sectors, tomorrow’s 6G network should be designed with improved sustainability intentions, security that fosters trust and reliability, and the ability to expand and/or improve connectivity to remote areas of the world. But these desires bring financial challenges; the slow adoption of 5G is not encouraging, and service providers must determine how to monetize 6G to justify their investment.
Lastly, while 6G gets most of the buzz, let’s remember the rapid advances in Wi-Fi technology. Currently, Wi-Fi 7 standards development is underway and expected to publish in 2024. The demand drivers for faster Wi-Fi include desires to support 4K to 8K video resolution for high-throughput, low-latency applications such as AR, VR, and cloud computing.
#3: Sustainability in connected systems
The IT network consumes the most energy in the content delivery process. From the service provider perspective, capital and operating costs are the financial guideposts of investment, and these costs must be recovered to be profitable. We are seeing an increased interest in the use of renewable energy sources to power infrastructure in areas where electricity is not available, thus enabling possibilities for connectivity in areas not considered before. So, for example, a solar-powered cell tower might now be present in an area without electricity. But service providers also seek to reduce operating costs, particularly with the more demanding infrastructures required to support 5G. Renewable energy sources used to operate, as examples, base stations and towers, can reduce overall operating energy costs.
Other factors are coming into play which are influencing the interest and adoption of renewable energy, including climate change. We are seeing dramatic shifts in weather events, such as historic drought in the Pacific Northwest of the United States but also many parts of Europe. For example, in areas of severe drought where water is used to generate power but also needed for agriculture and potable water for community residents, difficult decisions must be made which may include adoption of renewable energy sources to augment hydropower. These and other factors are driving stronger conversations, innovations, and adoptions of renewable energy as alternatives to augment or replace existing energy sources.
As we usher in a new year, we can expect to see continued advancement of efforts and technology evolutions leading towards our efforts to bring and improve upon connectivity to everyone, everywhere.
#4: Cyber security
Given the fast pace with which digital technologies are becoming central to the human daily experience and with the advent of new technologies, data, and the digital infrastructure must be protected, no matter where it resides.
We must plan and prepare for the future of cyber security while managing current security requirements, thus fueling our focus on evaluating and rethinking architectures that enhance cyber security in digital systems. Data collection, storage, processing, and its flow on networks must be reimagined to arrive at true Zero Trust architectures that aim to address cyber threats at all levels.
Growing cyber security threats to today’s computing and communications systems are a result of the following factors:
- Data creation and transmission are exploding in both the enterprise and consumer spaces, yet data flow and data management aren’t consistently implemented.
- Organizations have many disparate applications and services from many vendors, but the dependencies of these applications on each other are not always well understood by the organizations, nor are the contents of an application or a service.
- New technologies, applications, and devices are being introduced every day to collect and process data, but it is unknown which data is being collected, how it is being collected, and where it is being stored and processed.
- Next-generation communications systems may lead to more risks from less secure data transmission.
- Centralized data collection creates honeypots of information that can be breached by bad actors.
In response to these concerning issues, IEEE SA has formed the Cyber Security for Next-Generation Connectivity Systems IC Activity to better understand how to mitigate their impact. It is especially timely because the potential points of vulnerability have dramatically increased in recent years as more people work remotely.
Get engaged with IEEE SA
In 2023, we can expect to see continued advancement of efforts and technology evolutions leading towards our efforts to bring and improve connectivity to everyone, everywhere. IEEE SA works across industries and sectors to drive worldwide participation and champion the benefits of open standards and solutions, accelerating their adoption and the advancement of technology. We offer a full ecosystem of products, programs, and services. We welcome participants from academia, government, and industry such as telecommunications and network service providers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), start-ups, technology providers, as well as stakeholders from other industry sectors.
