Harnessing the Potential of Optical Communications for the Metaverse

The Metaverse is a digital world that offers an immersive virtual experience. However, the Metaverse applications are bandwidth-hungry and delay-sensitive that require ultrahigh data rates, ultra-low latency, and hyper-intensive computation. To cater for these requirements, optical communication arises as a key pillar in bringing this paradigm into reality. We highlight in this paper the potential of optical communications in the Metaverse. First, we set forth Metaverse requirements in terms of capacity and latency; then, we introduce ultra-high data rates requirements for various Metaverse experiences. Then, we put forward the potential of optical communications to achieve these data rate requirements in backbone, backhaul, fronthaul, and access segments. Both optical fiber and optical wireless communication (OWC) technologies, as well as their current and future expected data rates, are detailed. In addition, we propose a comprehensive set of configurations, connectivity, and equipment necessary for an immersive Metaverse experience. Finally, we identify a set of key enablers and research directions such as analog neuromorphic optical computing, optical intelligent reflective surfaces (IRS), hollow core fiber (HCF), and terahertz (THz).