Member organizations are advancing next-generation infrastructure solutions deployable across vendors, sectors, and regions

SYDNEY: The 2026 Annual Member Meeting of the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network Global Forum (IOWN Global Forum) in Sydney recognized its progress and shared its latest plans to deliver the digital networks of the future.

Over 250 delegates across its 180+ member organizations gathered in Australia’s tech capital to discuss and further their collaborative efforts to advance shared architectural blueprints, integration practices, and deployment models that move photonics-driven innovation beyond research into operational environments.

New industry insights

Special guests joined the IOWN Global Forum in Sydney to discuss the wider industry landscape. Jefferson Wang, IOWN Global Forum Board Member, led a fireside chat with Ani Satchcroft, Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Infrastructure Asia-Pacific for Macquarie Asset Management. They explored the evolving landscape and investment trends shaping the future of digital infrastructure in the region. Keynote speaker Rika Nakazawa, Executive Head, Global Strategic Innovation at NTT Data, discussed responsible innovation with the speed of light, at the edge of space, and towards quantum futures.

Public event showcase

Highlights of the Forum’s public event, FUTURES Sydney, which drives external awareness of the IOWN Global Forum and its activities, included presentations from:

• Olivia Shen, Director of the Strategic Technologies Program with the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney, on AI implementation in a competitive world.
• Giovanni Chiarelli, Chief Technology Officer, TPG Telecom, on the current demand drivers and technological landscape shaping Australia’s telecommunications infrastructure.
• Masayoshi Namba, Expert at MUFG Bank, on the possibilities created by All-Photonics Networks for the financial services industry.

Also, a panel discussion on AI infrastructure, security, and sovereignty, moderated by The Register’s APAC Editor Simon Sharwood, featuring Olivia Shen, Jefferson Wang, and Masahisa Kawashima, IOWN Technology Director at NTT, and Chair of the Technology Working Group at the IOWN Global Forum.

Membership and governance

The IOWN Global Forum welcomed five new member organizations during the meeting to help further galvanize its worldwide efforts:

• Adtran, provider of open, disaggregated networking and communications solutions.
• Arteria Networks Corporation, telecommunications and IT infrastructure provider.
• Baycurrent, business and IT consulting firm.
• Dassault Systèmes, software developer of 3D modeling, simulation, information intelligence and collaboration.
• TPSCo, specialized analog semiconductor foundry.

The Forum announced its 2026 elected directors as Per Beming, Chief Standardization Officer, Ericsson; Derrick Buckley, Managing Director, Telecoms, Media & Gaming Industries, Microsoft; Dr Rong-Ruey Lee, VP, Telecommunication Laboratories, Chunghwa Telecom; Giovanni Manto, Leader, Strategy & Advanced Optical Technology, Nokia; and Chris Wright, Chief Technology Officer, Red Hat.

The way forward

Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, President and Chairperson of the IOWN Global Forum, commented: “It was a privilege to gather with our broad ecosystem of thought leaders in Australia as we work together to shape the future of digital infrastructure. We achieve this by aligning efforts early across diverse industries, geographies, and value chains; working across infrastructure layers to enable end-to-end performance; and enabling real-world implementation through collaborative use cases and proofs of concept.”

“To meet ever-increasing digital demand, driven by the AI era, our shared focus is on building networks that are faster, more resilient, and economically viable, while avoiding fragmentation and single-vendor lock-in. This is the only way to drive the greatest value for the global economy, industry and society.”

About the IOWN Global Forum

The IOWN Global Forum was established in 2020 as a private sector organization to develop IOWN Global Forum technologies and use cases, and is comprised of over 180 organizations. The objective of the IOWN Global Forum is to accelerate innovation and adoption of a new communication infrastructure to meet our future data and computing requirements through the development of new technologies, frameworks, specifications, and reference designs in areas such as photonics R&D, distributed computing, use cases, and best practices. For more information, visit Home - IOWN Global Forum.

Fonte: Business Wire