Chunghwa Telecom and NTT Jointly Win Recognition for IOWN All-Photonics Network Innovation

Chunghwa Telecom and NTT's IOWN APN: A Landmark Achievement

In a significant milestone for global telecommunications, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) and NTT have been jointly awarded the prestigious Digital Infrastructure Innovation accolade at the 2025 Glotel Awards, highlighting their groundbreaking work on the IOWN All-Photonics Network (APN). This accolade is a reflection of their exceptional collaboration that showcases how joint efforts in innovation can lead to advances in next-generation communications.

The Glotel Awards, recognized globally within the telecom and tech industries, are highly coveted recognitions celebrating innovations and advancements in digital transformation. Out of numerous contenders from leading ICT firms worldwide, the Taiwan-Japan partnership distinguished itself with its innovative solutions and practical applications, making it a standout in a fiercely competitive field. Notably, this recognition marks Chunghwa Telecom's status as the only Taiwanese telecom operator to secure an award this year, representing a significant achievement in the region's telecom landscape.

The judges were particularly impressed by the IOWN APN's technical innovations and the way it addressed essential market demands, such as the need for ultra-high-speed, low-latency, and energy-efficient communication. Chunghwa Telecom and NTT progressed their collaboration beyond conceptual frameworks to implement full-scale cross-border functionality. In 2024, their efforts culminated in the establishment of the world's first international APN, effectively connecting Taiwan and Japan. This advanced network provides an astonishing 100 Gbps optical transmission over an expansive 3,000-kilometer distance with an industry-leading latency as low as 17 milliseconds. This achievement addresses the historical challenges of traditional cross-border connectivity, effectively demonstrating the transformative capabilities of the all-photonic architecture.

Following this pivotal technical success, both companies quickly moved to showcase real-world applications of the APN technology. During Expo 2025 in Osaka, they presented a remarkable synchronized performance that included CHO-KABUKI, a traditional Japanese theater form, and Guan Jiang Shou, a Taiwanese folk ritual, creating an immersive experience. The livestream performance utilized the IOWN APN to synchronously link stages in Taipei and Osaka, offering audiences a unique, interactive experience that blended the cultural narratives of both nations.

Additionally, at the NTT RD Forum 2025, Chunghwa Telecom, along with its local Japanese partners, exhibited an innovative cross-border distributed AI data center. This groundbreaking demonstration highlighted the integration of APN technology with disaggregated computing, effectively connecting data center resources in both Taiwan and Japan. It successfully utilized GPU resources in Japan as an AI computation node, validating cross-border support for high-performance workloads in real-time scenarios.

Chih-Cheng Chien, the Chairman and CEO of Chunghwa Telecom, articulated that this honor signifies notable acknowledgment of the substantial innovation achieved in collaboration with NTT. He emphasized that it represents a defining moment in pushing the boundaries of next-generation networking technologies. Looking forward, Chunghwa Telecom and NTT plan to remain active contributors to the IOWN Global Forum, championing the cause of open standards and ecosystem development while deepening cooperation with their global partners. Their shared goal is to expedite the worldwide adoption of IOWN APN technology and lay the foundation for a robust and sustainable next-generation digital infrastructure, empowering future smart applications and facilitating transformative industry changes.

This award not only highlights Chunghwa Telecom and NTT's dedication to innovation and excellence but also sets a new standard for digital communications worldwide, pointing towards a future where enhanced connectivity will pave the way for enhanced experiences, both socially and commercially.