The Future of Photonics, Built Through People: The Akkodis Journey Toward IOWN®
How a tech consulting firm is helping to power one of the world's most ambitious next-generation infrastructure initiatives.
3 minutes
31st of August, 2026
IOWN, the next-generation communications infrastructure initiative proposed by NTT Group and advanced through global collaboration among companies and academic institutions, is making significant progress toward its planned full deployment by 2032. As a tech consulting firm, Akkodis Consulting supports this ambitious initiative on two fronts, talent development and tech consulting, and our involvement continues to expand. In this article, Naohiko Morimoto, Principal and Head of the IOWN Promotion Office at Akkodis Consulting, reflects on the journey so far.
*IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT, Inc. Hereafter referred to as "IOWN" without the ® symbol.
Why a Tech Consulting Firm Entered the IOWN Initiative
Around the world, problems are mounting: climate change, environmental degradation, and much more. Solving these challenges requires vast amounts of data analysis. Yet as data volumes grow, so does the electricity consumption of the data centers that process them, climbing exponentially. This is compounded by the widespread adoption of remote work since the pandemic, expanding social media use, and rapid advances in AI. Energy consumption has become a global social challenge. The great hope for resolving this dilemma is the IOWN initiative, announced by NTT Group in May 2019.
The IOWN initiative is a revolutionary concept that aims to achieve 100x greater energy efficiency, 125x more transmission capacity, and 1/200 end-to-end latency by integrating optical technology into conventional electrical communications.
Akkodis is committed to co-creating global-scale business with our clients to help resolve challenges of this magnitude. To support the IOWN initiative through both talent development and tech consulting, we established the “IOWN Promotion Office” in January 2024, marking our declaration, both internally and externally, of our firm commitment to advancing the IOWN initiative.
The Three Missions of the IOWN Promotion Office
The IOWN Promotion Office pursues three core missions.
The first is talent development. As IOWN's technical innovation advances, there is an increasing need for people who understand the technology and can communicate its value. At Akkodis, we aim to develop talent capable of contributing directly to the development of IOWN, operating IOWN-based infrastructure, and creating new business that utilizes IOWN.
The second is use case creation. Akkodis employs a broad spectrum of tech consultants, from IT specialists to manufacturing engineers. By fusing with our clients and integrating deeply into their work, they are taking on the creation of new use cases that leverage IOWN.
The third is global expansion. Akkodis delivers solutions that combine digital and engineering capabilities across 30 countries. Drawing on the insights gained from our global presence, we aim to make significant contributions to IOWN's worldwide rollout.
The Only Sponsor Member of the IOWN Global Forum Focused on Talent Development
Realizing IOWN requires collaboration across a broad range of fields, not just telecommunications but manufacturing, finance, energy, and more, both in Japan and internationally. This is why the IOWN Global Forum, an international nonprofit organization, was established in January 2020.
Initially launched by NTT, Intel, and Sony, the Forum has grown to more than 170 member companies and organizations worldwide as of January 2026, all working together to bring IOWN to life on a global scale. Akkodis joined the Forum in February 2024 as the only tech consulting firm participating there with talent development at its core. Within the Forum, we develop training content in collaboration with fellow member companies.
We also participate in Mobile World Congress (MWC), one of the world's largest annual telecommunications trade shows, as a member of the IOWN Global Forum Industry Events & Conventions Task Force, working to bring the value of IOWN to society.
Rolling Out Talent Development Programs Toward IOWN's Realization
Preparing for IOWN's full deployment hinges on how many people we can develop and send into the field with both technical expertise and business perspective. In 2024, Akkodis therefore launched the IOWN Concept Basic Training under the supervision of NTT DOCOMO Business.
The curriculum systematically covers the fundamental knowledge required to understand IOWN: the social context driving the need for it, an overview of the technology, and the future IOWN will enable. It is designed to be accessible not only to engineers but to any business professional. Going forward, we will expand the program with APN (All-Photonics Network) training and business courses focused on use case creation.
IOWN FUSION BASE: A Hub for Talent Development and Use Case Creation
No matter how excellent a technology may be, its value cannot be fully conveyed without firsthand experience. And in today's increasingly diverse and complex AI era, business can no longer be sustained by a single company alone.
In 2025, we opened IOWN FUSION BASE at Akkodis headquarters in Shibaura, Tokyo, a space where visitors can experience the world of IOWN firsthand. This is the first facility outside of NTT Group and vendors developing All-Photonics Network (APN) devices where IOWN technology can be experienced hands-on. It serves as the operational base for our IOWN Concept Basic Training and as a hub where Akkodis professionals with deep expertise in IOWN co-create with stakeholders across industries, giving rise to new business.
At the opening ceremony in June 2025, we partnered with NTT DOCOMO Business to connect Open Hub Park and IOWN FUSION BASE via APN, showcasing an ultra-low-latency haptic transmission system powered by IOWN technology. The demonstration received extensive media coverage and generated significant societal impact. 2025 was the year Akkodis debuted its work on IOWN to a wide audience through IOWN FUSION BASE.
Continuing to Evolve, Powered by Global Assets Across 30 Countries
Led by the IOWN Promotion Office, Akkodis has driven IOWN forward through the twin engines of talent development and use case creation. Our work has been featured in The Identity of IOWN, a book authored by NTT executives, and in the IOWN Global Forum newsletter, giving us tangible signs that the direction we have taken resonates.
The more AI advances, the more indispensable the IOWN platform becomes. In response, Akkodis tech consultants and Fusion Designers (our sales professionals who “fuse” with our clients' businesses) are shifting significantly toward advanced technologies. We will develop talent that understands IOWN, leading to the creation of new business models. Drawing on our global assets across 30 countries, we will further accelerate IOWN's international expansion and generate business on a global scale.
As a tech consulting firm that continues to deliver new value, our challenge continues.
In our next article, we will share our ongoing initiatives within the IOWN Global Forum and the role Akkodis is taking on for the future.
