JP
WHAT'SIOWN
What is IOWN?
Leveraging NTT's long-standing leadership in optical innovation, IOWN is a groundbreaking ICT platform designed to overcome the limitations of traditional electronic technology. It offers game-changing capabilities, including ultra-high-speed, large-capacity data transmission, ultra-low latency, and significantly reduced power consumption.
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS will deliver IOWN as a next-generation ICT platform that helps solve challenges across diverse industries and communities. Through co-creation projects at our collaboration hub OPEN HUB, we work with customers to create new business value while conducting practical validation through demonstrations and proof-of-concept initiatives.
We are also a member of the IOWN Global Forum—an international forum dedicated to realizing and promoting the IOWN vision globally—and are working with partners in Japan and around the world to expand the ecosystem.
The Future Powered by IOWN
Why IOWN, Why Now?
With the rapid spread of AI and IoT, the volume of data processed across society continues to grow explosively. As a result, power consumption by networks and data centers is also increasing, and it is becoming clear that we will face fundamental constraints, both in terms of energy and performance. In the coming society, it is necessary to simultaneously process more data at higher speed while keeping overall power consumption down. IOWN utilizes photonic-electronic convergence technology, which performs data processing electrically while using light for transmission as much as possible, enabling low latency, large capacity, and reduced power consumption all at once to provide a next-generation ICT platform for the AI era.
Three evolutions IOWN brings
Ultra-Low Latency
End-to-end optical networking minimizes latency and jitter for real-time digital experiences.
High Capacity
Next-generation optical transmission technologies unlock unprecedented network capacity.
Energy Efficiency
By extending optical technology from networking to computing, IOWN dramatically improves the energy efficiency of digital infrastructure.
IOWN Technology Themes
Cognitive Foundation®(CF)
Cognitive Foundation® (CF) is a concept for centrally optimizing the deployment, configuration, and operation of ICT resources—including users' own ICT environments—together with cloud and network services. It provides an integrated approach that covers the entire lifecycle of ICT systems, from build and configuration to management and operations. To realize this concept, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS is advancing the following initiatives.
All-Photonics Network (APN)
All-Photonics Network (APN) introduces photonic (optical) technologies throughout the network, from network infrastructure to end devices. This enables dramatically lower power consumption, high-quality and massive-capacity transmission, and ultra-low latency—capabilities that are difficult to achieve with conventional electronics-based technologies.
Activities in the IOWN Global Forum
In January 2020, NTT, Inc., together with Intel Corporation and Sony Corporation, established the IOWN Global Forum as an organization to realize and promote the IOWN Vision, working with partners across various fields. As of February 2026, over 170 partner companies and universities are participating.
Quantum-resilient secure transport
Post-quantum secure transport system is a cryptographic communications technology designed to reduce risk as quantum computers increase the likelihood that existing cryptographic schemes could be compromised.By switching and combining multiple cryptographic methods, including post-quantum cryptography (PQC), it mitigates risk, and through disaggregation of functional components it enables these capabilities to be provided across a variety of platforms.