“There's hard money that's been invested in this [evolution], so it's not an aspiration. It's a requirement,” IBM VP Steve Goetz said.

The mechanism to achieve interoperability is the most important piece "because then you're not trying to solve the entire chain,” OMF's executive director said.

Improved network infrastructure and the growth of cloud-native platforms will catalyze metaverse adoption, Analysys Mason's Martin Scott explained.

Remote work that goes beyond calendars and meeting links: “that's a real problem, but the metaverse is not the solution to that,” Adam Riggs said.

Anthony Goonetilleke believes broadband needs to be seen as a basic necessity, like electricity and running water.

“I'm not hearing like I used to that capacity is the issue in terms of technology. It's just a matter of applying it," Ciena CIO Craig Williams said.

IT investment for the near term will focus on seizing uncertainty and "challenge thinking and change expectations," Gartner's Daryl Plummer said.

By 2027, Gartner predicts that over 40% of large organizations will use a combination of Web3, AR cloud, and digital twins in metaverse-based projects.

In the wireless industry "we’re perpetually inventing new things, and then expecting the public to accept them,” IEEE's David Witkowski said.

While some scams are new takes on old tricks, other cyberthreats are specific to the technologies that make the metaverse work like blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs.