There's a new industry forum on the block, and unsurprisingly it aims to speed the adoption of next-generation communications technologies. The Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) forum is the brainchild of Intel, Sony, and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT).

The forum envisions a future where technologies like silicon photonics, edge computing, and distributed connected computing converge to bring people from all walks of life together.

"The combination of super-fast networking and pervasive high-performance computing — the edge infrastructure to deliver smart services anywhere, anytime — can only be achieved with a profoundly new mindset shared across a global ecosystem," said Intel CEO Bob Swan, in a statement.

The development of photonic devices is of particular interest for IOWN as the technology has the potential to vastly reduce power consumption, and it boasts ultra-low latency along with massive bandwidth capacities.

The forum is also looking into distributed connected compute and digital twin computing — a forthcoming technology that allows real-world problems to be recreated in cyberspace. Using this technology, IOWN sees the opportunity to model human behavior through societal models.

In a statement Jun Sawada, president and CEO of NTT, promised to bring the company's research and development expertise to "foster the photonics revolution," which will unlock new technologies and enable a smart and connected world.

In this line of thinking, many of the forum's goals are rooted in democratizing technology. "IOWN's aim is to deliver the next generation communication infrastructure that will allow as many people as possible to take advantage of this future," the announcement says.

In a statement, Sony's President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida described the potential for these technologies to enable new forms of entertainment. "The high-capacity, low latency, energy efficiency, and flexibility that IOWN offers opens up exciting new possibilities in terms of connecting creators with users, bringing together people with people, and sharing highly realistic entertainment in real-time," he said.

In the coming months IOWN plans to formalize its board and expand its industry reach, bringing on new partners.