Evolution of IOWN Global Forum: From Vision to Reality
5 minutes
28th of September, 2026
In our previous article, we shared why Akkodis is engaged in the IOWN initiative, along with our journey over the past two years since we established the IOWN Promotion Office in January 2024. As a tech consulting firm, we help bring next-generation infrastructure into real-world deployment on two fronts: talent development and use case creation. Guided by this commitment, Akkodis joined IOWN Global Forum in March 2024 and has continued to take part as the only Sponsor Member with talent development at its core.
So where does IOWN Global Forum, the arena for this work, stand today? At MWC Barcelona 2026 (MWC2026), one of the world's largest mobile industry exhibitions, the Forum showed a stronger presence than ever. What came into view there was this: IOWN®* is moving beyond the R&D and proof-of-concept stages into a new phase aimed at real-world deployment and commercialization.
*IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT, Inc. Hereafter referred to as “IOWN” without the ® symbol.Where IOWN Global Forum Stands Today
Realizing the IOWN initiative requires collaboration not only in communications technology but across manufacturing, finance, energy, AI, cloud services, and many other industries. That is why IOWN Global Forum, an international nonprofit organization, was established in 2020. As of January 2026, more than 170 companies and organizations take part, bringing together not only telecommunications carriers and IT vendors but also semiconductor manufacturers, AI companies, and enterprises across sectors.
In its early days, the Forum focused mainly on studying the requirements and architecture for the networks of the future. By 2026, however, its activities have clearly moved into the next phase. Efforts to apply the results of proof-of-concept work to real-world society and business are accelerating, and the Forum is transforming from a “consortium for research” into an “ecosystem that drives real-world deployment.”
Three Key Takeaways from MWC2026
At MWC2026, IOWN Global Forum set up an exhibition booth and hosted a half-day session titled “Beyond Connectivity: From AI Ambition to Infrastructure Reality.” The session drew more than 170 participants, the booth welcomed around 1,100 visitors, and the Forum connected with representatives from more than 760 companies across 68 countries. Taken together, the trends on display point to three major shifts.
1. The Shift from PoC to Commercialization
IOWN is finally moving from the proof-of-concept (PoC) stage into implementation and commercialization. Concrete business use cases such as GPU Over Optical Network (remote GPU utilization) were presented, making explicit the turning point from “the potential of the technology” to “the reality of business.”
2. A Further Expanding Ecosystem
Use cases and demonstrations from a wide range of companies across AI, semiconductors, cloud, and enterprise were on display, making visible the widening circle of co-creation centered on IOWN. The booth as a whole conveyed steady progress in collaboration that crosses industry boundaries, leaving a strong impression that IOWN is growing into a cross-industry ecosystem that supports real-world deployment.
3. Progress in Global Standardization (ETSI Collaboration)
Collaboration with ETSI, the European standards body, has formally advanced. The IOWN Global Forum has reached a turning point on the way to influencing international standards, and momentum is building to establish global blueprints and implementation models to create low-power, low-latency infrastructure in the AI era.
These are not isolated developments; they are interconnected. As commercialization advances, the need for standardization grows. As standardization advances, more companies join. And as the ecosystem expands, implementation becomes possible across a greater variety of industries. MWC2026 made clear that this virtuous cycle has already begun to turn.
Open APN: Building the Infrastructure of the AI Era
At the heart of the MWC2026 exhibition was Open APN (All-Photonics Network). One of the core technologies driving the work of IOWN Global Forum, Open APN aims to build a high-capacity, low-latency, and highly efficient communications infrastructure by structuring the entire network on optical technology.
The exhibition introduced a variety of use cases built on Open APN. In finance, it presented a scenario in which financial institutions in different cities synchronize data at high speed to deliver highly responsive, real-time services. Another case featured the development of AI models using GPUs installed in a remote AI data center powered by renewable energy. In manufacturing, it depicted a future in which a head office and an R&D site connect directly, allowing engineers in distant locations to collaborate seamlessly.
These are not simply stories about faster communications. What the AI era calls for is infrastructure that lets data and computing resources be used as if they were in the same place, no matter where they physically reside. Open APN is expected to serve as the foundation that makes this possible.
The Unique Role Akkodis Plays
Among the more than 170 participating companies and organizations, Akkodis holds a distinctive role as the only Sponsor Member with talent development at its core.
What is the significance of a tech consulting firm, one that is neither a telecommunications carrier, a semiconductor manufacturer, nor a cloud provider, taking part in IOWN Global Forum? It lies in supplying a missing piece that is easily overlooked within the ecosystem: the people who carry the technology. However excellent the technology being standardized and commercialized may be, real-world deployment will not advance without people who understand it, apply it in the field, and connect it to new value.
Within the Forum, Akkodis pursues the following activities:
- Building talent-development content: creating curricula and providing content to cultivate people who can understand and apply IOWN.
- Supporting use case creation: encouraging co-creation among participating companies from the perspective of connecting technology with on-the-ground challenges.
- Participating in the Industry Events & Conventions Task Force and the Marketing Steering Committee: advancing efforts to bring the value of IOWN to society through dialogue and co-creation that begins at international conferences such as MWC Barcelona.
At MWC2026, Akkodis also took part in demonstrations and exhibits that let visitors experience the value of Open APN firsthand. Through an exhibit where visitors could feel the difference in network latency, and a diorama illustrating industrial models for the AI era, we helped communicate the future IOWN will bring in more concrete terms.
Akkodis is also learning. Through our ongoing discussions with global members, one thing has become clear: widespread implementation of IOWN cannot be reached through technological progress alone. Standardization, commercialization, ecosystem formation, and the people who make it all work must all come together before the vision becomes reality. Within this framework, Akkodis fulfills its role as the Sponsor Member responsible for “people,” working in step with partners around the world.
Toward the Next Stage
MWC2026 made clear that the work of IOWN Global Forum has entered a new stage. Across the Forum, efforts are accelerating in the following directions:
- Accelerating APN commercial deployment: expanding real-world use cases and advancing collaboration with telecommunications carriers.
- Converging with AI and 6G infrastructure: giving concrete shape to a technology roadmap toward a low-power society.
- Advancing international standardization: strengthening collaboration with global standards bodies, beginning with ETSI.
- Supporting business creation for participating companies: providing implementation support for the move from the PoC stage to the commercial phase.
In step with these global movements, Akkodis will drive our clients' use of IOWN both in Japan and abroad. We will deliver global standardization trends and commercial use cases to our clients in Japan ahead of the curve, strengthening our role as a trusted advisor in shaping IOWN strategy. This is the next stage for the IOWN Promotion Office.
No matter how far technology advances, it is people who bring it to society. In our next article, we will turn to these “people” who carry this technology into society, and share the new IOWN-related training and use case creation workshops that Akkodis will release in 2026.