The partnership involves the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) concept, pioneered by NTT
Japan’s NTT Corporation and Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom Co. have entered a partnership around the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) concept, which promotes the use of photonics technologies to develop high-speed, high-capacity network and information processing infrastructure.
According to its website, NTT pioneered the IOWN concept to “[transform] existing information and communication systems” and “[realize] a new information and communication infrastructure that goes beyond the limitations of current ICT technology.”
NTT and Chunghwa Telecom said the partnership will use the “All-Photonics Network” to establish international network connectivity, enabling the flow of data between Japan and Taiwan.
To further support its IOWN concept, NTT in 2019 established the IOWN Global Forum with Intel and Sony. According to the Japanese company, the purpose of the form is to promote the concept through the publication of specifications, frameworks and reference architectures of new technologies in areas such as research and development of distributed computing and photonics using advanced photoelectric fusion technology, as well as cases and best practices.
“NTT has a long history in photonics-related R&D and has achieved cutting-edge results in fields like silicon photonics and optoelectronic convergence. Based on these technologies, NTT aims to power the next generation of technology innovation and solve many of today’s societal challenges, such as ever-increasing power consumption. We will bring our leading R&D expertise to foster the photonics revolution and unlock new technologies to ultimately enable a smart world, where technology becomes so “natural” that people are unaware of its presence,” Jun Sawada, NTT’s president and CEO, commented.
