IOWN Global Forum Spotlights Business Value of Next-Generation Infrastructure at MWC26

Industry leaders demonstrate how All-Photonics Networks (APNs) are moving to commercial deployment to deliver the speed, sustainability, and resiliency critical for the AI era

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At MWC26, the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network Global Forum (IOWN Global Forum) will highlight how network infrastructure is evolving to meet the demands of an AI-intensive world. With 180+ member organizations united around advancing network technology, the Forum will host a half-day session to showcase how intelligent, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure is transitioning from vision to commercial reality.

As AI places unprecedented demands on global networks - requiring ultra-high bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and energy-efficient performance - APNs have emerged as a scalable alternative to traditional infrastructure. The Forum’s work is focused on accelerating the adoption of these advanced networks to support distributed computing demands while improving system resiliency and sustainability.

Booth: Hall 2, Stand 2A13MR

Returning for the second consecutive year, the IOWN Global Forum booth will showcase photonics-related solutions and progress made through industry-specific use cases. Experts on the booth will be delivering introductions to the Forum and overviews on use cases including:

• AI training acceleration through remote GPU services
• Financial services infrastructure modernization
• Remote media production and streaming

The booth will feature a tabletop display that uses digital and 3D elements to illustrate how an APN moves data between sites in Barcelona, Madrid, and La Mancha.

Session: Beyond Connectivity: From AI Ambition to Infrastructure Reality

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Time: 15:00 – 19:00 CET (doors open at 14:45)

Location: Partner Theatre 5, Hall 8.0 – 4YFN & Partner Theatres

This half-day session will comprise three panel talks, featuring members from across the IOWN Global Forum. Senior executives and technical experts from key industry players such as Accenture, Ciena, Ericsson, Intel, KDDI Corporation, Microsoft, NTT, NTT Docomo, Orange, NVIDIA, Red Hat, and Sony will be taking to the stage to discuss:

• Part 1 (15:00 - 16:20): Scaling the Digital Backbone: From Vision to Commercial Reality – Panelists will reveal the roadmap for transitioning next-generation networks from technical validation to business reality.
• Part 2 (16:30 - 17:30): The AI Infrastructure Shift: Capitalizing on the Decentralized Cloud Economy – Industry experts will discuss why APNs are a viable alternative to private fiber networks that typically favor hyperscalers.
• Part 3 (17:40 - 18:30): The Unified Path to 6G: How Global Alignment Is Unlocking Value – Panelists will bring the discussion beyond technical specifications to early adoption use cases, discussing the market implications of global alignment.

Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, President and Chairperson of the IOWN Global Forum, said: “As AI reshapes infrastructure requirements worldwide, the IOWN Global Forum is demonstrating how next-generation network technologies can deliver practical value. Our growing international membership and deepening ecosystem collaboration have accelerated the transition of APNs from development to deployment. MWC26 is a critical moment to share this momentum and show how IOWN technologies can address the performance, efficiency, and sustainability challenges facing modern enterprises.”

Visit us in Hall 2, Stand 2A13MR and join us for our Beyond Connectivity: From AI Ambition to Infrastructure Reality session on Tuesday, March 3 in Partner Theatre 5, Hall 8.0 – 4YFN & Partner Theatres.

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.