NTT System S.A. and Access Co., Ltd. announced a business and technology partnership aimed at promoting the realization of Innovative Optical and Wireless Network. Through the arrangement, NTT and ACCESS will conduct research and development on new user interface and user experience technology for IOWN. In addition, by leveraging the global channel ecosystem of IP Infusion, a wholly owned subsidiary of ACCESS, NTT and ACCESS will set up sales channels of NTT software to global markets as a first step toward establishing a global value chain to provide the developed software products.

Even with the pandemic largely behind us, there is likely to be an ongoing shift toward a decentralized society, with the continuation of social distancing and other measures. To achieve a world of seamless interconnection of real and virtual in such a decentralized society, one requirement is for an information processing infrastructure on which everyone can easily process information in many different forms, beyond digital, and create value from it. A second requirement is for innovative UI/UX technology to enable all kinds of users to simply and intuitively interact with the new information processing infrastructure.

Moreover, the infrastructure supporting such a society will need to be capable of scaling quickly and providing flexible configuration, in order to connect the vast amount of data coming from people, things, virtual spaces, and other places of all kinds. The various players working to realize this infrastructure are actively developing software-based network technology, with its high affinity to automation and artificial intelligence, and are aiming for high cost-effectiveness. NTT is promoting innovative R&D that will bring about change throughout the world in alignment with its group vision: “To resolve societal issues through its business operations, NTT Group works together with its partners as ‘Your Value Partner'.” NTT is working with partners around the world to develop game-changing innovative technologies, setting forth its IOWN initiative as a part of its vision of building a platform for creating a wide range of services in society.

Under the arrangement agreed on July 27, 2021, research and development will be carried out making use of NTT UI/UX technology and ACCESS embedded browser technology. Additionally, making use of the technologies, knowledge, support capability and global delivery/operations framework of IP Infusion, built up through supplying its software-based network operating system (network OS) solutions to more than 350 companies, the partnership aims to achieve efficient worldwide provision of the innovative technologies born of IOWN.