Optical networks are the arterial connectivity underpinning all consumer, enterprise, and national digital economies. Optical networks have a vast reach, connecting mobile and residential broadband consumers, enterprises, and governments, both to other users and to a panoply of computing applications. The value of the optical network is the transmission of tremendous bandwidth across the entire globe at a low cost per bit and low latency.

The optical network continues to grow and adapt to many outside pressures including the increasing growth of cloud services and now the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), which is placing even more demand on the optical core. Sustainable networking and computing have grown in importance across all sectors. The result is that new breakthrough innovations are the path forward for the industry to address these challenges and benefit of all stakeholders.

IOWN (innovative optical and wireless network) Global Forum technology is a transformational concept of evolution from electronics to photonics for networking and computing. It is based on a set of fundamental technologies, methods, and approaches that together make possible a secure, connected, immersive, and sustainable future. The IOWN Global Forum has introduced the concept of the All-Photonics Network (APN). The APN proposes an open environment in which more industry players can participate directly in the photonic layer of the network.

Consumers, enterprises, and governments have a stake in the progress of the APN. The APN needs to expand to support more bandwidth and extend to yet more edges of computing while being highly responsive with minimal latency. To succeed the APN needs to be open, enabling all stakeholders to take advantage of the many innovations from service providers and computing industry participants.