# Will Metaverse be NextG Internet? Vision, Hype, and Reality

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.12894 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.12894/

## Key facts

- Cited by 14 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 30 Jan 2022.

## Built on by (most cited first, 14 of 14)

- [AI and 6G into the Metaverse: Fundamentals, Challenges and Future Research Trends](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.10921/) (2022)
- [Edge-enabled Metaverse: The Convergence of Metaverse and Mobile Edge Computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.02764/) (2022)
- [Edge Computing for Semantic Communication Enabled Metaverse: An Incentive Mechanism Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.06463/) (2022)
- [Towards Ubiquitous Semantic Metaverse: Challenges, Approaches, and Opportunities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.06687/) (2023)
- [Secure and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence-Extended Reality (AI-XR) for Metaverses](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.13289/) (2022)
- [The Metaverse: Survey, Trends, Novel Pipeline Ecosystem & Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.09240/) (2023)
- [Privacy Preservation in Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality (AI-XR) Metaverses: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.10665/) (2023)
- [Can We Revitalize Interventional Healthcare with AI-XR Surgical Metaverses?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.00007/) (2023)
- [A Hybrid Framework of Reinforcement Learning and Convex Optimization for UAV-Based Autonomous Metaverse Data Collection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.18481/) (2023)
- [Towards Zero-trust Security for the Metaverse](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.08885/) (2023)
- [Metaverse: A Vision, Architectural Elements, and Future Directions for Scalable and Realtime Virtual Worlds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.10559/) (2023)
- [Unified, User and Task (UUT) Centered Artificial Intelligence for Metaverse Edge Computing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.09295/) (2022)
- [Metaverse Survey & Tutorial: Exploring Key Requirements, Technologies, Standards, Applications, Challenges, and Perspectives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.04718/) (2024)
- [Research on environment perception and behavior prediction of intelligent UAV based on semantic communication](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.04480/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Metaverse, with the combination of the prefix "meta" (meaning transcending) and the word "universe", has been deemed as the next-generation (NextG) Internet. It aims to create a shared virtual space that connects all virtual worlds via the Internet, where users, represented as digital avatars, can communicate and collaborate as if they are in the physical world. Nevertheless, there is still no unified definition of the Metaverse. This article first presents our vision of what the key requirements of Metaverse should be and reviews what has been heavily advocated by the industry and the positions of various high-tech companies. It then briefly introduces existing social virtual reality (VR) platforms that can be viewed as early prototypes of Metaverse and conducts a reality check by diving into the network operation and performance of two representative platforms, Workrooms from Meta and AltspaceVR from Microsoft. Finally, it concludes by discussing several opportunities and future directions for further innovation.