NTT Corporation (NTT) and NEC have jointly developed a transponder to realize NTT’s next-gen photonics initiative.

NEC’s SpectralWave WX-T transponder will be used to develop the optical-technology based communications network developed by the NTT-led Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum.

As an Open APN transceiver, the device will serve as an endpoint for end-to-end optical paths in the IOWN APN (All-Photonics Network), which leverages dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology to add new wavelengths to existing optical fiber, eschewing the need for new line installations.

Its network operating system, NEC NOS, meanwhile, meets the open transport principles set by the Open Optical and Packet Transport (OOPT) arm of the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), which features guidance from Juniper, Infinera, and more.

Built with white-box architecture, the transponder will be deployed in telecom facilities and at end-user locations, including data centers and enterprise buildings, to link the core network with user devices via an open ecosystem.

The system’s multi-band support includes the fiber-friendly L-band, which extends fiber performance beyond the C-band.

Reflecting the IOWN APN vision of addressing both growing capacity and rising power consumption, NEC touted the WX-T’s energy-efficient transmission, as coupled with low latency. Also highlighted was detailed, high-frequency fault analysis via visualization of issues in optical segments, enabling faster troubleshooting.

The development of IOWN APN comes amid growing demand to bolster inter-data center networking connections to help support AI-related data inferencing beyond core data center sites.

NTT - which is targeting commercial use of IOWN APN in 2030 - conducted tests last year using IOWN connections between data centers in the U.K. and U.S., claiming a latency of less than one millisecond between facilities almost 90km apart.