In 2023, ITU, through its Focus Group on metaverse worked with its diverse membership to engage the digital community in shaping an open, interoperable, and human-centric metaverse by developing 22 deliverables.
ITU Focus Group on metaverse (FG-MV) was established under the ITU-T Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group (TSAG) on 16 December 2022. The FG-MV aims to lay the groundwork for international standards that can help create an underlying technology and business ecosystem.
The Focus Group convened four significant meetings in 2023.
Divided across nine Working Groups, 22 deliverables were developed and approved in 2023
Events
During 2023, the ITU organized three forums, two special sessions and multiple webinars to bring together diverse stakeholders to advance discussions on key metaverse standardization issues, which attracted thousands of participants around the world.
1st Special session of ITU Focus Group on metaverse (FG-MV)
HLPF Forum side event on Exploring the metaverse: A New World of Possibilities for Cities and Communities
2nd Special session of ITU Focus Group on metaverse (FG-MV)
GSR23 Session 9: Harnessing the Opportunities of the metaverse
Speakers of 3rd ITU Forum on “Cities and the metaverse: shaping a citiverse for all”
Exhibition in the metaverse
Forums on metaverse and citiverse
The 1st ITU Forum on Embracing the metaverse took place on 7 March 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The forum brought together more than 600 experts and leaders from industry, government, and academia to explore the opportunities and challenges presented by the metaverse. One of the key messages that emerged was the importance of collaboration and international standards in realizing the potential of the metaverse.
The 2nd ITU Forum on Creating a metaverse for all through international standardstook place on 7 July, in Shanghai, China, in conjunction with the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC). The Forum brought together over 14,000 participants. It fostered dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders to discuss the role of international standards in shaping the metaverse. Key topics of discussion included the role of standards in building an open and interoperable metaverse, the industrial metaverse, and the role of enabling technologies in unleashing a new era of immersive and interactive experiences.
The 3rd ITU Forum on Cities and the metaverse: shaping a citiverse for all took place on 13 September, in Arusha, Tanzania. Focusing on the African region, the Forum brought together metaverse experts from around the world to discuss the role of the metaverse in cities and identify areas of further collaboration, including metaverse standardization activities. The Forum concluded with the adoption of the Arusha Call to Action which reflected key issues discussed at the Forum.
The 1st Special Session of the ITU Focus Group on metaverse took place in Arusha, Tanzania on 12 September 2023. This Special Session provided an open platform for the African region to discuss their unique metaverse challenges and opportunities, to ensure that the metaverse is developed for the benefit of all.
At the first meeting of the ITU Focus Group on metaverse, it was agreed that FG-MV would engage directly in the metaverse as part of its work by organizing Special Sessions to take place in the metaverse.
A demonstration of what a Focus Group meeting in the metaverse may look like was presented at the third ITU Forum in Arusha, Tanzania. Following this presentation, the October Focus Group meeting agreed to continue to explore the possibility of holding future Focus Group meetings using an online virtual reality platform.
The Executive briefing on the metaverse provides a concise overview of the technologies that underpin the metaverse, as well as its key challenges and opportunities. The investment and positive momentum generated by the promise of the metaverse offers a unique opportunity to build a better online experience for people around the world and accelerate the digital transformation required to achieve the SDGs. However, the metaverse also poses many policy and technical challenges that could undermine its potential. Read the briefing to learn more.
1st ITU metaverse forum outcome document
