Since Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled his metaverse concept and branding in July 2021, mobile operators have been scrambling for position – even those in China, which is pursuing a parallel ‘verse’. There have been marked regional disparities in MNO response, with the greatest enthusiasm and activity coming from the hi-tech areas of Asia-Pacific and far less from Europe. This reflects distinct market dynamics, with Asian countries such as South Korea and Japan lacking the same exposure to the great American media giants and hyperscalers as the western regions, while also having large and powerful MNOs. As a result, some MNOs have been able to build platforms with the scale to compete in a field requiring high investment in advanced…