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96 % of the 15,000 business professionals surveyed across the globe recognise the value of virtual meetings and more than three-quarters ( 78 %) say they would participate in more immersive experiences like the metaverse versus current tools , such as video conferencing . Additionally , while appetites grow for the new digital world , unreliable network performance was cited ( by 38 % globally ) as the top concern holding organisations back .

Additionally , while appetites grow for the new digital world , unreliable network performance was cited ( by 38 % globally ) as the top concern holding organisations back .

While the data reveals a significant push toward more digital and immersive platforms on a global scale , there are regional differences . On a global level , 87 % of business professionals confirmed they would feel comfortable conducting HR meetings in a virtual space . At a country level , this was as high as 97 % in India and 94 % in the Philippines and as low as 57 % in Japan .

According to the respondents , the top two benefits of virtual meetings are : improved collaboration and convenience . And , when it comes to selecting their avatar for the virtual world , 35 % of business professionals would choose an avatar that reflects their real-world self , 22 % would choose an idealistic version and only 10 % would pick a pop culture figure .

Globally , 71 % of professionals can see the metaverse becoming part of existing work practices and 40 % think their business will move away from traditional / static collaboration environments to more immersive and virtual reality-based environments in the next two years .

Despite growing interest among working professionals , barriers to widespread business adoption of immersive technologies still exist . According to survey participants , network reliability is a higher concern than the belief that immersive applications / tools are not yet widely available .

“ Clearly , the business world is ready to move to the metaverse and start using enhanced reality tools for collaboration and innovation ,” said Steve Alexander , Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Ciena . “ Network reliability may be seen as a barrier to making this possible today , but service providers know the demand is there and are already investing and testing to make networks faster , smarter and bring them closer to the user .

“ We will continue to hear talk around what the metaverse is or could be in the coming months and years , but none of the exciting use cases can be achieved without a robust underlying network , laced with the latest and greatest technologies that support the ultra-low latency and high bandwidth that enhanced reality demands .” p

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