From "Knowing" IOWN® to "Using" It: How APN Training and the IOWN Use Case Creation Workshop Are Broadening Talent Development at Akkodis

In our previous article, we shared where IOWN Global Forum™ stands today, as seen at MWC Barcelona 2026, and how IOWN®*1 is moving beyond the R&D and proof-of-concept stages into a new phase aimed at real-world deployment and commercialization. However excellent a technology may be, real-world deployment will not advance without people who understand it, apply it, and connect it to new value. So far, we have focused on building understanding of IOWN through the IOWN Concept Basic Training. The next stage is already underway: we are developing APN Training and the IOWN Use Case Creation Workshop, taking on a new challenge of developing people who can not only "know" IOWN, but put it to use.

*1 IOWN® is an abbreviation of Innovative Optical and Wireless Network, and is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT, Inc.; hereinafter "IOWN." For more information about IOWN®, please visit https://www.rd.ntt/iown/.

The Next Stage Beyond IOWN Concept Basic Training

In 2024, Akkodis developed the IOWN Concept Basic Training under the supervision of NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. The program offers a systematic look at the social context that makes IOWN necessary, an overview of the technology, and the future IOWN will bring. We have delivered it in a form that is easy to follow not only for engineers but for a wide range of business professionals. At the same time, as the real-world deployment of IOWN has progressed, a new challenge has come into view: simply understanding the IOWN concept does not go far enough to enable practical application or client proposals. To move into the deployment phase, people need a deeper understanding of the technologies that make up IOWN. This is why we are developing practical training focused on the All-Photonics Network (APN), the core technology of IOWN.

Developing People Who Understand APN and Can Explain Its Value

APN Training covers the fundamentals of optical communications technology, APN architecture, and the future of Open APN, all in a systematic way. Rather than offering a simple overview, it places weight on understanding why APN is needed, what technologies make it possible, and how it will develop from here. Participants study a broad range of material, from the fundamentals of optical communications technology such as optical fiber, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), and digital coherent technology, through to the components of APN: APN-T, APN-G, APN-I, and APN-C. Beyond commercial APN as it stands today, they also deepen their understanding of where the technology is heading, including multi-vendor environments and Open APN.

The goal of the training is not technical knowledge for its own sake, but the ability to put that knowledge to work in explaining value. Participants aim to reach a level where they can do the following:

Understand the background that makes APN necessary

Explain the difference between packet communications and APN

Explain the technical characteristics and value of APN

Explain value to clients on solid technical grounds

Connecting Technical Understanding to Business Creation

Our second initiative is the IOWN Use Case Creation Workshop. As interest in IOWN grows, discussion of how to apply IOWN and what value it can create will only become more important.

To connect technical understanding of IOWN to real use in business, we are developing a workshop that runs from framing the challenge through generating ideas, examining how IOWN can be applied, and identifying themes for proof-of-concept work. The aim is to link our clients’ challenges to IOWN and to provide a starting point for creating use cases.

What sets this workshop apart is the weight it places on free thinking. Participants combine IOWN technologies, future ways of living and working, and a variety of scenes to consider new services and new forms of society. Free from existing assumptions and constraints, they generate a diverse range of ideas and widen the field of possibility.

The workshop also pairs a seeds-driven approach, expanding thinking outward from IOWN technology and its possibilities, with a needs-driven approach that gives shape to ideas by starting from business and social challenges. By working from both seeds and needs, we aim to create use cases that are both novel and feasible.

Regional revitalization has long been a priority for us, and we have worked to solve regional challenges through talent development. The IOWN Use Case Creation Workshop draws on that experience. Through continued dialogue with local governments and other regional stakeholders, we see the workshop serving as a venue for co-creating use cases that address regional challenges and generate new value. Through this workshop, we aim to develop our regional revitalization work further, and to connect the possibilities of IOWN to solving regional challenges and to developing the next generation of talent.

No matter how far technology advances, it is people who bring it to society. Akkodis will continue to support the real-world deployment of IOWN on two fronts: talent development and use case creation.

In our next article, we will report on an event held at IOWN FUSION BASE, our hub for co-creation. We will share how we are advancing our fusion with stakeholders.