IOWN Global Forum to Host Global Debate in Australia on Tomorrow’s Networks

Business and technology leaders will convene in Sydney next month to discuss the industry and economic impact of future communications infrastructure

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Thursday April 16, the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network Global Forum (the IOWN Global Forum) will host FUTURES Sydney 2026 - Powering Tomorrow with Photonics, an international seminar discussing the communications networks needed to deliver AI at scale.

From the foremost hub for technology and innovation in the Southern Hemisphere, this free, public-access event will explore how next-generation, optical and photonics-driven network infrastructure is progressing from concept to deployment, and what that means for business strategy and investment decisions today.

Senior leaders and technologists from the Forum’s 180+ members, comprising component manufacturers, cloud and infrastructure providers, telecom operators, and end‑user organizations, will convene at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park to exchange pioneering ideas, solutions, and perspectives on addressing the evolving needs of the AI era.

Along with local civic voices, they will share insights on emerging infrastructure innovation, discussing the challenges and opportunities around energy consumption, compute needs, optimizing connectivity, and local impact. FUTURES Sydney is designed to foster informed, practical discussion that connects technology development and business and industry needs.

Event highlights: attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Listen to a keynote from Olivia Shen, Director of the Strategic Technologies Program with the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.
• Watch a panel discussion, AI Infrastructure, Security, and Sovereignty: Why Optical Networks Matter Now. As AI outpaces today’s infrastructure, this panel will explore why secure, high-capacity optical networks are becoming essential to trusted innovation, national readiness, and global competitiveness. Moderated by Simon Sharwood, APAC Editor of The Register, featuring Olivia Shen and further panellists:
  • Giovanni Chiarelli, Group Chief Technology Officer, TPG Telecom
  • Jefferson Wang, Chief Strategy Officer for Cloud First, Accenture and IOWN Global Forum Board Member
  • Masahisa Kawashima, IOWN Technology Director, NTT and IOWN Global Forum Technical Director
• Learn how photonics‑based networking and computing are being applied across diverse industries including telco, financial services, data centers, construction, and broadcast.
• Establish connections with peers assessing next‑generation infrastructure strategies and adoption pathways.
• Explore a range of prototypes and exhibits from Forum members that bring their work to life.

Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, President and Chairperson of the IOWN Global Forum, commented: “The future of connectivity is not built by a single company or a single technology. It is forged through the collective vision and shared commitment of the global business and technology community.

“FUTURES Sydney presents a unique opportunity for key stakeholders to gather and reimagine how industries operate, businesses scale, and societies connect. From enabling frictionless financial transactions to powering AI-driven enterprises, the business impact of optical and photonics-driven innovation is endless. The journey may be ambitious, but the opportunity is transformative.”

Key event details:

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026

Time: 15:00 – 17:00 Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), followed by a networking reception

Location: Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, 161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia (there will also be a live online broadcast via Webex)

Key URLs: Event Overview and Registration Page

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.