NTT works to turn next-gen IOWN optical network into global standard

Japan telecom group seeks overseas partners, following mobile internet missteps

The IOWN initiative leverages NTT's expertise in optics in order to transfer large amounts of data using less power. (Photo by Mizuho Miyazaki)

SHIHO MIYAJIMA and KOSUKE SHIMIZU, Nikkei staff writers

April 13, 2024 02:22 JST

TOKYO/PALO ALTO, California -- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone is gearing up to turn its IOWN optical network into the global standard for next-generation communications, almost five years after first announcing the initiative.

At a research expo in San Francisco this week targeting NTT's key clients, the Japanese telecom group showcased a variety of technologies from security to its proprietary "tsuzumi" large-scale language model.