Latin American Business Professionals Are Ready for the Metaverse

90% of business professionals from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico would rather participate in meetings in the metaverse versus current video conferencing tools

HANOVER, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Workers in Latin America are ready to collaborate in the virtual world, according to a new study commissioned by Ciena (NYSE: CIEN). The survey found that 59% of respondents across Mexico, Colombia and Brazil would consider working from a virtual platform such as the metaverse, and more than 50% believe that it is easier to collaborate on virtual platforms versus in person.

Other reasons for embracing virtual work settings vary per country. In Mexico, an important benefit business professionals see from virtual meetings is fewer distractions or opportunities for chatter (46%). For respondents in Colombia (53%) and Brazil (59%), affordability is one of the most important advantages of virtual meetings.

Additionally, 81% of respondents in Latin America can imagine their workplace introducing virtual reality tools, such as AR and VR glasses, into their work processes. And 9 out of 10 professionals in the region said they would feel comfortable conducting formal work meetings, such as for HR, in a virtual reality environment. At a country level, this was 91% in Colombia and 92% in both Mexico and Brazil.

The survey reveals a high interest in users wanting to interact within the metaverse, not only for work, but also for education, socialization and gaming. In Colombia, 63% of respondents would use virtual platforms for learning/education; while in Mexico, 60% say they would use the technology for socializing, and 69% of Brazil’s respondents would use it for online gaming.

Despite organizations’ growing desire to utilize enhanced reality tools, globally, network reliability is a top concern, which was also reflected in Mexico’s (43%) and Brazil’s responses (42%). Colombia survey respondents (45%) felt that workplaces may not know how to properly utilize virtual reality. Other concerns among survey respondents include costs associated with virtual platforms and the belief that the technology is not readily available.

Furthermore, over 40% of the respondents in Latin America agree that in the next two years their workplaces will move away from the traditional/static collaboration environment to a more immersive/virtual setting. Globally, 34% of respondents agreed.

When it comes to creating an identity in the virtual world, 49% of Latin American business professionals would choose an avatar that reflects their real-world selves, 21% would choose an idealistic version and 14% would take on a different image depending on the setting and the purpose of the meeting.

“Our study found that Latin American business professionals see potential in utilizing more immersive and virtual platforms for work,” said Fabio Medina, Vice President and General Manager Ciena in Latin America. “Although the reliability of the network is a concern, service providers are taking steps to create more robust, reliable and adaptive networks able to handle the low latency and high-bandwidth requirements of these virtual spaces.”

Notes to Editors

The research surveyed a total of 15,000 business professionals, including 1,000 professionals within each of the following countries/regions: UK, Germany, Norway, Middle East, Australia, Denmark, Japan, Colombia, India, U.S., Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and Singapore. The study was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Ciena in June 2022.

About Ciena

Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a networking systems, services and software company. We provide solutions that help our customers create the Adaptive Network^TM in response to the constantly changing demands of their end-users. By delivering best-in-class networking technology through high-touch consultative relationships, we build the world’s most agile networks with automation, openness and scale. For updates on Ciena, follow us on Twitter @Ciena, LinkedIn, the Ciena Insights blog, or visit www.ciena.com.

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