Metaverse for Wireless Systems: Vision, Enablers, Architecture, and Future Directions

Recently, significant research efforts have been initiated to enable the next-generation -- the sixth-generation (6G) -- wireless systems. In this article, we present a vision of the metaverse toward effectively enabling the development of 6G wireless systems. A metaverse uses virtual representation (e.g., digital twin), digital avatars, and interactive experience technologies (e.g., extended reality) to assist analyses, optimizations, and operations of various wireless applications. Specifically, the metaverse can offer wireless system operations through virtual modeling that allows network designers, mobile developers, and telecommunications engineers to monitor, observe, analyze, and simulate their solutions collaboratively and virtually. We first introduce a general architecture of metaverse for wireless systems. We discuss key driving applications, design trends, and key enablers of the metaverse for wireless systems. Finally, we present several open challenges and their potential solutions.