Talk of the metaverse in telecoms has thankfully abated. From the great optimistic highs of 2021, talk of Mark Zuckerberg’s utopia has dwindled to a whisper. This is not just because metaverse talk is being drowned out by AI-related chatter, but because the concept of the great metaverse has stalled, especially for mobile users. The metaverse promised to be a fully immersive internet experience, where users interact with augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) using avatars and pioneering digital technology. The concept, though it can be traced back to science fiction from 1935, gained mainstream commercial traction when Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021 and signaled its commitment to the new world. A bit like getting a tattoo of…