Alliance with Meta, a new startup accelerator… This is Telefónica’s commitment to the metaverse
Despite the fact that for some the metaverse seems a long way off, the reality is that more and more companies are betting on belonging to this virtual space and making their brands stand out in this new universe, and among these brands is Telefónica, which is has allied with Meta to jointly expand and explore the technologies of the metaverse.
Open2metaverse will support startups targeting the metaverse
The first step that Telefónica has taken before the metaverse is the launch of a global call for startups dedicated to this virtual space.
As announced by Chema Alonso , digital director of Telefónica, the Open2metaverse will seek to support companies with the best technologies directed towards the metaverse, in order for them to scale globally more quickly by connecting them with Telefónica, and generating joint opportunities. Meta Unveils Builder Bot, a Voice Tool to Make World Building Easier in the Metaverse.
The call will be made through Wayra , its open innovation hub, and startups will focus on connectivity, devices, virtual platforms, identity tools, NFTs and marketplaces, among other use cases.
The agreement between Meta and Telefónica will boost creators
Telefónica’s commitment to the metaverse extends to Meta , Mark Zuckerberg ‘s company , with which it will collaborate to expand and explore new ways to drive innovation in connectivity and technology in the field of the metaverse
This agreement will also seek to empower the community of creators so that they can develop new use cases. To achieve this, both companies will establish the Metaverse Innovation Hub , a metaverse innovation center where startups and developers will have access to a 5G laboratory to test their creations, among other benefits.
A cryptocurrency to pay for telephone services… and that could boost transactions in the metaverse
And beyond accelerating startups and creators of the metaverse, Telefónica is analyzing the possibilities offered by cryptocurrencies as a means of payment in the near future , and could even create its own cryptocurrency.
Chema Alonso confirmed that “due to current times and immersion in the metaverse” , having a payment method that accepts cryptocurrencies is an option that the company is already considering, and if implemented, it would be the first European operator to allow pay for services through this type of digital asset.
Tour the metaverse at the Telefónica stand at MWC 2022
One more step for Telefónica towards the metaverse takes place at the Mobile World Congress 2022, in which the company has installed a virtual stand that allows access to a space inspired by the physical stand where users can connect with experts, attend presentations and enjoy an unprecedented experience.
This initiative is carried out with the possibility that users can discover the impact of technological innovation both in companies and in society in general. This is a pilot experience, in a real-scale virtual space with a social layer in which attendees will have the opportunity to tour the Telefónica stand at the MWC in the form of an avatar.
Said virtual stand will be available by entering this link in both a mobile version and a web version (PC, tablet, etc.), as well as through the microsite dedicated to the company’s participation in MWC 2022.
A pilot virtual experience
So that users can enjoy this virtual experience in the metaverse, they will be able to choose between ten predefined avatars before entering the stand. Once they have been able to enter, they will have the possibility to tour the space and define their experience in real time.
These are six different experiences, four of them also present in the physical stand and two additional ones that are included exclusively in this virtual environment.
Each visitor will be able to go through each one of them and, above all, they will be able to interact or click on the “Let’s talk” button (sandwich icon in the lower right part) to create an appointment with an expert who will solve all their doubts, to which they will be able to join three other assistants. These meetings with experts will take place via video calls within this temporary metaverse.
Additionally, users will be able to test their technological knowledge thanks to different interactive tests or also learn about smart buildings, the future of industry or robotics and 5G thanks to the additional information that appears included in the 11 transformation notebooks in which Telefónica highlights the success stories of its technological and digital proposals in different sectors, such as tourism, health, education, sports or leisure.
“The 3D web currently allows us to bring the metaverse closer to all users in an easily accessible format, without losing the freedom of socialization, exploration or interaction that it offers us. A step to scale in parallel with the technologies that will populate the mainstream metaverse in the coming years, virtual and mixed reality” , says Edgar Martín-Blas, CEO of Virtual Voyagers, the company that has been in charge of developing this project for Telefónica together with Somos Experiences .