The 2023 World VR Industry Conference in October, focused on the theme “VR Makes the World More Exciting – Fusion of Virtual and Real, Empowering Various Industries.”
China Mobile played a significant role in the conference, including hosting important events like the Metaverse Forum where we showcased key products, critical technologies, standards, and major industry applications in the metaverse field.
At the Metaverse Forum, Director Huang Yuhong from China Mobile Research Institute delivered a thought-provoking keynote speech titled "Exploration of Metaverse Technology System and Key Capabilities".
During the speech, Huang painted an exciting vision of a future world where humans can enter the metaverse. With the rapid development of technologies such as 6G, computational networks, holographic interaction, digital twin, next-generation artificial intelligence, and even digital life, the metaverse is expected to achieve a deep integration between the virtual and real worlds.
Huang told attendees this integration will bring revolutionary advancements to human production, life, and social governance, ultimately realizing the goal of digitalization for humanity. However, the realization of this future vision depends on the active participation and collaboration of all stakeholders in the industry.
She explained that by leveraging its previous explorations and achievements, China Mobile is actively involved in shaping relevant national policies, planning the construction of metaverse technology systems, and making progress in capabilities, applications, and ecosystems.
The long-term development of the metaverse industry relies on strong support from national policies. On September 8th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with four other departments, issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for Innovative Development of the Metaverse Industry (2023-2025)." This plan marks a significant milestone in China's metaverse industry development. As part of an industry think tank, China Mobile actively participated in formulating this action plan and provided suggestions and proposals for building a trusted information service infrastructure and industry support systems for the metaverse. We also offered insights on the layout and industry development strategies in areas such as information infrastructure, digital identity, blockchain platforms, industrial environment construction, and collaborative innovation.
While engaging in the formulation of national policies, China Mobile has also explored and developed a comprehensive technological framework for the metaverse known as the "Three Layers and Seven Elements", and strategically planned and facilitated the systematic implementation of the metaverse concept.
The first layer is the foundational support layer, which includes network infrastructure primarily based on 5G and 6G. It also encompasses multiple levels of widely distributed computational infrastructure, referred to as the "Foundation of the Metaverse."
The second layer is the foundational enabling layer, which consists of artificial intelligence technologies that empower the metaverse. It also includes technologies such as blockchain, digital identity, authentication, and authorization, which establish the operational rules of the metaverse. These are respectively known as the "Intelligence of the Metaverse" and the "Rules of the Metaverse."
The third layer is the business enabling layer, which involves immersive interaction technologies, digital twins, content generation technologies, and individuals who are digitally savvy. They are respectively referred to as the "Bridge of the Metaverse," the "Realm of the Metaverse," and the "Soul of the Metaverse."
Under the guidance of the overall planning for the metaverse, China Mobile has actively explored and achieved certain results in terms of capabilities, ecosystem, and applications.
To build these foundational capabilities, China Mobile is focusing on four key elements: Network, Computing, Intelligence, and Rules.
First, China Mobile is leveraging the advantages of its network infrastructure to focus on 6G and next-generation Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. There is a shift from simple connectivity to perception by implementing "sourceless perception," "integrated perception," and "comprehensive perception." This allows for high-performance and cost-effective upgrades, facilitating accurate mapping between the virtual and physical worlds and supporting IoT applications.
Second, under “Computing” China Mobile is addressing the unique characteristics of the metaverse, such as large-scale scenarios, high-precision simulation, and powerful intelligent computation. We achieve this by strategically distributing and scheduling computing resources across cloud, edge, and on-device platforms. Through deep collaboration between different computing environments, our aims is to reduce costs and improve efficiency. For example, we have partnered with QiTian, a popular company, to develop a cross-regional collaborative solution for the metaverse, enabling XR battles in shared virtual spaces across different locations.
Third, in terms of "Intelligence," China Mobile through the integration of AI technologies China Mobile is progressing from digital beings to intelligent beings. This involves efficiently generating digital beings and equipping them with intelligent capabilities in areas such as hearing, speaking, and vision. Currently, China Mobile's self-built intelligent being platform offers comprehensive coverage, ranging from cartoons to hyper-realistic representations, with precision levels from L1 to L5. This platform enables AI-driven empowerment within the metaverse.
Lastly, focusing on “Rules”, China Mobile is leveraging its own resource endowments to establish a digital identity platform. The inherent standardization and interconnection of numbering resources make the super SIM card a physical safeguard for user IDs. By combining software and hardware components, China Mobile is laying the foundation for a trustworthy real-name identification system.
Referencing: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Z_hQ7hlCN_0NcydzrqN5uQ
