The Metaverse Is Here to Stay 

The last two years have accentuated the positives of digital technology—its capacity to connect, educate and entertain; to make possible long-distance, professional collaboration and family gatherings, to take us back in time and into the far future.

From “WFH” Zoom calls to streaming the new episode of This is Us and downloading the latest Call of Duty patch, we’ve all become more reliant on in-home connectivity.

Well, this is just the beginning, and connectivity is only going to become more embedded in our lives. The Metaverse is having its big moment—and the way we work, watch, shop, gig, game, meet, date and deliberate might never be the same again.

‘Meta-what?’ you might say. And even if you have heard of the Metaverse, where it is and how it works is probably still a mystery to you. You’re not alone. Few had any real grasp on the idea until last year, when Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that his company was now called Meta and promised a future of digital avatars with virtual houses doing virtual things and virtually hanging out.

However, the Metaverse isn’t really here yet. It’s certainly not fully formed, and no one can truly predict how it will take shape, just how big it will get, how much bandwidth you’re going to need to experience it in its fullest, or how much we will live in it.

The consensus is that the Metaverse is one of the most exciting things to come from this decade. However, we need to start future-proofing ourselves for the inevitable Metaverse “Big Bang” by ensuring we’ve got the latest full-fibre technology to support this new way of experiencing the world. Put it this way: imagine taking your first steps in the Metaverse, only to find out the reality doesn't match up to the expectation because your bandwidth can’t fulfil the Metaverse’s demands. What you want is as real an experience as possible, so you can fully immerse yourself in these new digital realities.

Telecoms companies are having to adapt to this new demand for superior broadband—and TalkTalk is already there, launching its newest Future Fibre 900 and Total Home Wi-Fi packages that really deliver. They have been designed for the modern home, delivering average download speeds of 900Mb/s and a Wi-Fi signal throughout your whole house with eero mesh Wi-Fi systems.

But all companies, not just those in telecoms, are going to have to adjust to the inevitable “virtual world” boom.

The predominant vision for the Metaverse is as a series of interlinked virtual worlds. At the moment, entry requires a pair of VR goggles such as Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, but once you're in, you’re properly immersed. These devices are getting more popular by the day—on Christmas Day 2021, more than 5,000 Oculus headsets were connected to TalkTalk’s network, earning the Oculus a spot in the top-five gaming gifts for the first time.

One galaxy in the Metaverse—likely the loudest and noisiest—will be inhabited by gamers who'll be zapping, slashing, jumping and smashing their way through all sorts of virtual contests and in all manner of virtual worlds. In fact, many argue that Fortnite, the game that dominated most teenager’s lives a couple of years ago, was a sneaky early peak into the Metaverse: its great appeal was that it was social and on a mass scale. You created an avatar, met up with your friend’s avatars, and went on adventures, joining up with thousands of others from all over the world. Fortnite even became a place to attend virtual concerts and events (and many parents were grateful for the social interaction Fortnite allowed their kids during Covid-related lockdowns).

Fortnite's success alerted the tech companies to the potential of virtual social spaces, showcasing how much we were prepared to be in digital worlds and how real they could feel. The buzz now is around a post-pandemic professional Metaverse. There are already virtual meeting rooms where you can talk to virtual colleagues around a virtual table; or you can walk and talk and write smart, impressive things on a virtual whiteboard (surgeons and doctors are already collaborating in their own private Metaverse, using mixed reality technology to talk through procedures). And the few people who have tried out the technology insist that once you get accustomed to being an avatar, the experience feels surprisingly real and a vast improvement on being a floating head in an on-screen box (you still don’t get legs in the Metaverse, but they are working on it).

The Metaverse has been called “internet 3.0”, but a better analogy might be living inside your smartphone and wandering through a new universe of immersive apps: fitness apps, creative apps, social networking and dating apps, where you can hang out and buy virtual alcohol and watch live comedy. You can already buy virtual clothes and dress to impress in the Metaverse.

While the Metaverse is already being assembled, in truth, it may still be a while before we want to spend extended periods of time there—but we already live largely digital lives and there is only one direction of travel, even if we aren’t entirely sure where we are heading. And so, the demand for fast, reliable connectivity is only going to increase.

According to TalkTalk network data, internet usage has soared 40 percent over the past two years alone. And, by 2025, the connectivity provider estimates that peak broadband usage will more than double, which is why it's focused on rolling out future-proofed, affordable full-fibre packages at pace.

The Metaverse almost certainly won’t look anything like we imagine it will look right now. And we will probably work out things to do in it that no one has though of yet. That's the nature of new technology. There will certainly be other ways to connect, communicate, collaborate and share time and information, just as there will be other digital delights and entertainments. But change is picking up speed, and you need an internet connection that can keep pace.

Powered by two award-winning eero Pro 6 mesh Wi-Fi routers from Amazon, TalkTalk's Future Fibre 900 and Total Home Wi-Fi packages combine the benefits of full fibre and Wi-Fi 6 technology to support superior speeds, boost efficiency and tackle Wi-Fi blank spots.

And with Total Home Wi-Fi, if TalkTalk’s Future Fibre customers find they require further coverage given the layout and size of their home, they can add an additional eero Pro 6 device at no extra cost.

To find out more about TalkTalk's Future Fibre and Total Home Wi-Fi packages, visit: TalkTalk 

This article was originally published by WIRED UK