A prosperous metaverse depends on a trusted, universal means of undertaking commerce and accessing immersive experiences – the Supercharge any activity in any metaverse Catalyst provides such a solution, wherever in the metaverse that may be
Trade and identity for any experience in the universal metaverse
Commercial context
Progression into the Web3 era presents CSPs with an opportunity to add far greater value to the metaverse beyond the provision of connectivity. A significant reason for this is the central role CSPs have played in assessing the needs of – and creating network infrastructure for – a disparate market comprised of complex technical requirements for next generation solutions. As a result, CSPs have become central to connecting and enabling a variety of value-added services needed for Web3 and metaverse applications.
This is underpinned by their expansive, global subscriber bases with whom they have existing billing relationships - an ideal foundation for creating trusted, seamless commercial experiences inside the metaverse. The customer relationship is one increasingly defined by the highest standards of identity verification and fraud protection – elements which will be crucial in forming metaverse identity interoperable across various platforms, devices and technologies.
The solution
This has resulted in the Supercharge any activity in any metaverse Catalyst, which aims to develop a common platform which CSPs can use to support key metaverse applications. The solution is designed to enable CSPs to engage with customers – both consumers and employees – via a full-service store and kiosk that can be deployed in any metaverse platform and function. CSPs can use the metaverse kiosk to engage and manage their customers in various ways by using a 3D product library containing reusable glTF file-based 3D assets. The Catalyst has deployed 3D assets in Decentraland, a public metaverse, as well as in a private, homebrew metaverse based on WebXR.
Customers engage with the kiosk by using Web3 telco loyalty tokens (TLTs) - fungible tokens that represent common loyalty points. These are supported by telco soulbound tokens (TSTs) which are non-transferable identity NFTs with KYC verification issued to each customer by their CSP. Smart contract implementation of TLTs and TSTs is based on ERC-20 and ERC-5114 standards and deployed in the polygon blockchain (Ethereum-based layer 2 chain).
Application and wider value
The kiosk supports digital twins of real customer support agents and provides generative AI-driven services and XR experiences that operate in concert with physical stores. These are used to support functions typical of a physical store, such as a product display operated by a photorealistic customer support avatar. The kiosks, which can be customized by each participating CSP, use a TM Forum Open API-based integration layer for each CSP to plug in their BSS/OSS. The Catalyst has also demonstrated how the tokens and kiosk can be used to access other services too, and shown how they can be used to attend a metaverse concert at Decentraland which can be attended by personalized customer avatars, wherever the kiosk is deployed.
In providing CSPs with a common, customizable way to interact with their customers, this Catalyst has created a means to identify and trade with customers, wherever in the metaverse they may be. In demonstrating how the kiosk and tokens can be used to enable custom user avatars to access services, the stage is now set for the creation and deployment of a market full of rich and engaging experiences.
In this new environment, CSPs can set new standards in customer relations and product ROI. “Web3 is a nascent, emerging technology that puts the consumer first,” explains Ron Marquardt, VP of Advanced Technologies and Innovation at T-Mobile. “The use of Web3 tokens and innovative technologies like 3D avatars and generative AI can improve customer satisfaction, provide new ways to reward customer loyalty, deliver innovative services, and provide the best support, allowing T-Mobile to continue to evolve how we meet and serve our users. Through this early demo we highlight a possible future, and take the first step towards collaborative efforts to find the best ways to use these technologies.”