Chunghwa Telecom, NTT Launch World’s First International IOWN APN Linking Taiwan and Japan

The development follows the basic agreement signed on October 25, 2023. The newly activated network links Chunghwa Telecom’s headquarters in Taipei with NTT’s Musashino R&D Center in Japan, providing a stable and low-latency connection with an approximate delay of 17 milliseconds over a 3,000 km distance.

Past Coverage: Chunghwa Telecom Plans to Establish APN in Taiwan

Connection via All-Photonics Network Technology

Leveraging their expertise in optical and wireless transmission technologies, as well as their successful track record in deploying these technologies, Chunghwa Telecom and NTT have utilized All-Photonics Network technology to establish this high-performance international connection.

To inaugurate the International IOWN APN, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) established a link between its headquarters and a landing station in Taiwan, while connecting to Japan through a separate landing station. Concurrently, NTT linked its Musashino R&D Center with a Japanese landing station. The two companies then connected their networks, verifying the establishment of a stable communication channel.

This new International IOWN APN features a 100 Gbps optical path bandwidth, with a round-trip time (RTT) of 33.84 milliseconds. The network's architecture and equipment adheres to the Open All-Photonic Network Functional Architecture standards set by the IOWN Global Forum, ensuring seamless interconnectivity between various devices.

Also Read: NTT DOCOMO and NTT Corporation Lead Development of Services with IOWN

Accelerating Japan-Taiwan Industrial Collaborations

Through their bilateral cooperation, Chunghwa Telecom will use the new international APN to showcase low-latency interactive immersive entertainment at the NTT R&D Forum 2024. Meanwhile, NTT will offer data backup and replication services for disaster preparedness, supporting the development of smart factories. These services will be utilized primarily in the semiconductor and manufacturing sectors in both Taiwan and Japan, including for large language models (LLMs) such as tsuzumi.

Shui-Yi Kuo, Chairman & CEO, Chunghwa Telecom, said, "As Taiwan's leading telecommunications company, Chunghwa Telecom is pleased to promote the IOWN cooperation with NTT, Japan's leading telecommunications company. This groundbreaking achievement of the world's first international IOWN APN showcases our commitment to develop IOWN innovative technologies. Together, we are shaping the future of global connectivity and contributing to the prosperity and development of society."

Akira Shimada, President & CEO, NTT Corporation, shared, "I am glad and grateful to announce the world's first international IOWN APN connection between Japan and Taiwan through international cooperation of NTT and CHT. I believe this connection could accelerate Japan-Taiwan industrial collaborations. With diverse global service providers and vendors, NTT and CHT will develop and provide IOWN services worldwide."