The last few years have shown us how productive we can be working from practically any location thanks to new virtual collaboration tools. And while face-to-face interaction certainly has its merits, the pandemic has shown that in-person interactions at work may not matter as much as we'd initially thought. In other words, "going to work" is no longer a matter of traveling to a physical destination, and 2023 will be the testing ground for proving that the new way of work can be location-independent.
#1: Businesses have a strong appetite for new immersive applications like the metaverse
Post-pandemic, many businesses and professionals now recognise the benefits of virtual collaboration tools for work. In a recent survey conducted by Ciena among 15,000 business professionals from around the globe on sentiments about applications like the metaverse in the workplace, a whopping ninety-six per cent said they recognise the value of virtual meetings. According to respondents, the top benefits of virtual meetings are improved collaboration and convenience.
Perhaps encouraged by their positive experiences with virtual meetings, businesses are willing to experiment with new and immersive metaverse-type platforms to reimagine their work experience further. More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents from our survey said they would participate in more immersive virtual platforms versus existing tools such as video calls. Globally, 71% of professionals see these platforms becoming part of existing work practices, and 40% think their business will move away from the traditional/static collaboration environment to a more immersive and virtual reality-based environment in the next two years.
#2: The metaverse will knock down physical and geographical barriers for businesses
If previous collaboration tools like video conferencing have provided the convenience many of us are happy with, why are people eager to embrace new platforms like the metaverse? These new immersive applications offer a refreshing improvement over current solutions, ensuring that remote meetings become more interactive and inclusive.
What are some examples of these applications at work? Holding virtual meetings for more hands-on collaboration is an obvious start, but metaverse-type environments can also be a tool to engage workers without needing a physical office. This is especially beneficial for engaging remote employees, whether for onboarding, training, team building, or connecting with colleagues they might otherwise not be able to meet in person. Homing in on specific industries, adopting metaverse applications can also mean immersive product demonstrations for retailers and manufacturers, virtual property walkthroughs for real estate agents, or safety training for workers in high-risk environments.
#3: Network reliability will be key to the success of virtual work experiences
As promising as these use cases may seem, none can be executed successfully without reliable and adaptive networks. To make the metaverse a viable option in the workplace, we need to build networks that can handle large amounts of traffic with minimal to no latency.
Network reliability is a concern to the widespread adoption of the metaverse. According to our survey, as keen as most business professionals might be in welcoming a new digital way of working, 38% worry that their existing networks would be able to handle the demands of immersive experiences. This concern is even more significant than the belief that immersive applications or tools have yet to be widely available.
This is understandable, considering that residential networks and 5G are expected to do much of the heavy bandwidth lifting when supporting remote work arrangements. Without reliable networks, businesses and employees may find the metaverse too glitchy to be adopted for critical applications.
#4: Service providers are leading the way to support the workplace of the future
Anticipating the demands of new immersive platforms like the metaverse, service providers are already investing in new network architectures and technologies that support more traffic over their existing infrastructure. One prime example is South Korean telecommunications company SK Telecom, which has launched its metaverse platform ifland in over 49 countries. The platform has seen rapid growth, from 3 million users at the beginning of 2022 to 12.8 million in October.
Some service providers are also partnering with tech companies to develop metaverse-related solutions on 5G. Verizon, for example, is working with Meta to understand the foundational requirements for metaverse applications by coupling Verizon's 5G capabilities with Meta's technology, while AT&T and Quintar have been working together to deliver immersive AR experiences to sports fans.
Improvements also include automation and artificial intelligence technology, made adaptive by a combination of analytics and programmable software capabilities. These adaptive virtual programmable networks can independently configure and maintain themselves, as well as diagnose and address errors without the need for human intervention. They can also reallocate resources such as storage and bandwidth from underutilised areas to boost other aspects of the metaverse that have increasing demand and revert or adapt automatically as needed.
#5: New immersive virtual platforms will drive the growth of multi-access edge computing
A smooth and seamless user experience is ultimately key to the success of new immersive platforms like the metaverse. Making virtual experiences happen in the workplace will require a tremendous amount of computing power and will strain networks, as systems will have to render environments, objects, and potentially dozens of avatars, all while tracking their movements. Unreliable networks and high latency in the metaverse workplace can mean decreased productivity, increased cost, and even poor collaboration.
More than ever, businesses will need to adopt multi-access edge computing (MEC) to facilitate the implementation of the metaverse. MEC is the practice of moving data processing to the edge of a network. This means putting the resources closer to where they are needed – such as employees working away from the office and in non-metropolitan suburbs – and moving computing and storage functions closer to metaverse participants, leading to better performance and lower latency.
Service providers are also investing in creating easy access-to-edge computing capabilities to reduce network latency and improve reliability at the network edge. This also allocates more network resources to deliver more capacity and higher-bandwidth connectivity for virtual experiences for those working away from the office. With workplaces now becoming location-independent, these improvements will make interactions within the metaverse work seamlessly, whether they may be logging in from their home office or the neighbourhood cafe.
Beyond all the hype, there are real reasons for optimism regarding the future of new immersive platforms like the metaverse. The technology is becoming more accessible and easier to implement and will undoubtedly continue to grow in popularity in the years ahead. Once networks around the globe are upgraded to support the low latency that complete digital immersion requires, the potential for exciting business applications will be immense. For these new immersive platforms to be successfully implemented in the workplace, however—we'll need the proper infrastructure. That's where service providers come in. They have an opportunity to build the networks of tomorrow, and the workplaces of the future.
