Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications equipment and services company, has linked the use of new technologies, such as 5G, to the use of metaverse platforms. In addition, Ericsson believes that 5G is a key enabler for the metaverse and its ecosystem of devices and application developers.
The metaverse doesn’t just refer to virtual reality, augmented reality, extended reality or even cyberspace, but all of these concepts.
On the other hand, 5G is the fifth generation of mobile telephony. Launched at the end of 2020, it has more than 5 million users (as of June 30, 2022). This represents almost 6% of mobile subscribers.
In July, Ericsson revealed a study on the relationship between the metaverse and 5G technology. According to the study, users with 5G data services have spent more time in metaverse and extended reality applications, and they expect these to migrate to headsets in the next two years.
5G is expected to address the explosion in our data consumption. According to operators, they are increasing by 40% per year. At this rate, the 4G network will be saturated within one to two years. In 2025, in fact, one user out of 5 will consume 200 GB every month. This is the first interest of 5G: avoid network saturation in very dense areas, such as train stations, airports or stadiums, by providing oxygen through new frequencies.
Ericsson study on the relationship between metaverse and 5G
Ericsson study reveals that 5G is a catalyst for the metaverse. The study, which includes Ericsson’s tracking data from 2019, surveyed 49,000 consumers in 37 countries and is said to be representative of the opinions of 1.7 billion users worldwide.
In addition, again according to the study, globally, six out of 10 5G adopters believe the technology is “essential” for the metaverse to be fully realized. In addition, operators can benefit from integrating their own metaverse applications into 5G plans.
Interestingly, 5G data users believe in one thing, according to the study: The metaverse will surely migrate to other, more immersive platforms in the future. The survey found that half of 5G customers who already use metaverse and extended reality applications believe these services will migrate to XR (extended reality) headsets in the next two years.
