March 26th, 2026
2 min read
These words from NTT’s President and CEO Akira Shimada during his keynote at MWC 2026 perfectly sum up NTT’s vision for a brighter world powered by photonics. With AI redefining business, technology and infrastructure requirements, we believe photonics is the key to an intelligent, power-optimized future.
And at MWC 2026, NTT showcased the work we are doing to make this future a reality. Through presentations and exhibits, we shone a light on what businesses need to think about, invest in and understand today so they can be ready to compete in the AI-driven economy of tomorrow.
IOWN as a foundation for the AI era
In his keynote address, Mr. Shimada highlighted the need to rethink computing and network architecture for the AI era. “The infrastructure choices we make today define long-term performance, resilience and sustainability,” he said.
He pointed to the need to improve efficiency across computing and networking systems so innovation can continue without dramatically increasing power consumption. He emphasized the transformative potential of optical technologies to reduce power consumption, and he introduced key initiatives such as the commercialization of photonics-electronics convergence devices and the development of optical quantum computers.
Already AI workloads are becoming larger, more complex, and more distributed. Traditional electronic architectures are approaching structural limits. A photonics-based infrastructure will enable higher data throughput, faster processing speeds, greater system integration, energy efficiency, and scalable AI infrastructure.
Big developments are underway that will enable AI and business of the future. That includes the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network, known as IOWN, a concept that includes the building of digital infrastructure based on optical technologies rather than electronics. NTT is moving quickly from research to deployment to achieve this vision. Some might say we are moving at the speed of light.
NTT’s MWC 2026 showcase in the spotlight
Our MWC 2026 exhibits were a showcase of work already underway as we move toward an intelligent, power-optimized future. We focused on two key areas:
AI-Resilient Infrastructure with Photonics: Here we showed how NTT is leveraging optical technologies to build a sustainable and energy-efficient infrastructure for an AI-driven society.
AI-Powered Services and Solutions: This included practical, real-world AI deployment that is happening now to pave the way for the future, such as:
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NTT DOCOMO’s Network for AI:
Think about the advancements that can come from seamless collaboration between humans, AI and robotics. This hybrid workforce could see AI handle data-heavy tasks and robots take on physical labor, with humans managing complex, nuanced challenges requiring empathy and judgement. NTT DOCOMO is a leader in Japan’s B2C mobile market, and its Network for AI enables this level of collaboration. As one of the five key values proposed for the 6G era, it is targeted for commercialization in the 2030s.
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Platform for remote robot operation and AI-driven autonomous control:
NTT DOCOMO showed how low-latency communication technology can allow for remote operation and AI-based autonomous control of robots . And these are not just any robots. Equipped with Real Haptics technology, these robots can transmit the sensation of touch to a remote operator, which means they can pick up and safely handle delicate or fragile items, making them ideal for sensitive manufacturing or packing and shipping operations, or even remote surgery.
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NTT DATA's enterprise AI agent:
NTT DATA is NTT’s B2B powerhouse, and its Smart AI Agent helps clients transform business processes and operations. For instance, its Agentic AI Voice is a conversational multi-agent system that gives a more personal feel to customer interactions. Agentic AI Powered Customer Support includes tools that make service faster, more personalized and more efficient. Smart AI Agent can be used for specific purposes in different industries – such as the Smart Vehicle Assembly & Quality Assistant that can make automotive quality control more efficient and the Financial Compliance & Customer Insights Assistant that enables on-demand answers to compliance questions quickly and simply in the financial sector.
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NTT DATA’s industry-specific solutions:
NTT DATA offers solutions designed to support specific sectors. For telecommunications firms, for instance, NTT DATA helps to enable AI at scale by baking AI into their processes and products. For manufacturing, NTT DATA helps companies connect factories at a global scale, reducing inventory and costs, and integrating supply chains.
Photonics and the innovation of the future
There is no question AI will play a significant role in the future of business. Enlightened companies are already preparing for the AI workload growth, autonomous systems and human-AI-robot collaboration to come.
And, as Mr. Shimada said, that means working toward an intelligent, sustainable future with light at its core. Photonics will power the infrastructure that supports AI. Organizations that rethink infrastructure today will be better positioned to compete in the AI-driven markets of tomorrow.
See NTT at MWC to explore the technologies and demonstrations in greater depth.
