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The metaverse, a collective virtual shared space, is set to revolutionise how we interact, work, and play. For now, its evolution and democratisation towards a complex space where all users utilise virtual reality is just inly beginning.
One contributing factor is users’ internet connection. 4G LTE, the fourth-generation mobile network that is mostly used today, has significantly improved mobile internet experiences by providing data transmission speeds of up to 150 Mbit/s. However, the average download and upload speeds stand around 20 Mbit/s and 1 Mbit/s respectively, with a latency of about 50 ms. While these figures are sufficient for current mobile applications, they are not adequate for the immersive, real-time demands of the Metaverse. Regarding Wi-Fi, the current generations suffer from congestion and thus high latencies once several VR devices are connected at the same time. Wi-Fi 7 promises to address the congestion issue but is far from the range and global coverage proposed by cellular technologies.
Here comes 5G. Promising peak data rates of up to 20 Gbit/s and a latency as low as 1 ms, 5G offers a quantum leap in connectivity. Unlike 4G, 5G provides rate, range, reliability and latency thanks to network slicing and sidelinking. Network slicing allows the creation of virtual networks within the overall 5G network, optimises resource allocation and ensures specific service levels for different applications. Sidelinking, on the other hand, enables direct communication between devices without the need for an antenna or transceiver, reducing latency further and enhancing reliability.
The expansion of the latest generation mobile network is excellent news for the metaverse and its development. Indeed, 5G addresses several issues that were hindering the progress of the metaverse.
Firstly, one of the biggest requirements of the metaverse is a latency close to zero. To ensure an optimal user experience and avoid nausea and frustration, the graphical elements must be updated almost instantly in response to how people are interacting with them. Today, the complex multi-players games have to meet a round-trip time between 20 and 30 ms. However, in the case of a complex environment and virtual reality, latency needs to be under 10 ms, which is possible in the 5G area.
On top of that, the metaverse’s data-heavy environments necessitates a symmetric bandwidth and a robust network capacity. 5G can handle the massive data flow necessary for downloading the virtual worlds and supporting numerous users. This symmetric bandwidth capability, where users can upload as much data as they download, is crucial for the metaverse to ensure quick loading and high quality of its visual and interactive elements.
Finally, one of the biggest challenges of the metaverse is the resolution of the environment. Indeed, to have the best quality of experience, it needs to be close to the human retinal resolution. On a smartphone held at arm’s length, 720p resolution is sufficient to achieve human retinal resolution. Yet, for a head-mounted display, retina grade resolutions will need to be in 4K, or even more. 4G network throughput is not sufficient to face this challenge and deliver a consistent quality of experience. However, in the 5G era, it will no longer be an issue.
To conclude, 5G technology has the capacity to provide the internet connection needed for the development of the metaverse. Nevertheless, other challenges emerge such as, the building of an infrastructure that can support the massive amounts of data being transmitted. It requires significant investment, which can be an issue for some.
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