The IOWN Global Forum convened its 2025 Annual Member Meeting in Stockholm, assembling over 250 delegates from more than 160 member organizations to assess progress and chart a course toward its Vision 2030 goals. Marking five years since the Forum’s inception, the gathering focused on accelerating the transition from technology proof-of-concept to commercial deployment across photonic and wireless infrastructure. Delegates engaged in workshops and strategic discussions focused on innovation, energy efficiency, and cross-sector adoption of advanced network technologies.
The Forum’s public showcase, FUTURES Stockholm, featured a whitepaper presentation by Omdia’s Ian Redpath on the role of All-Photonics Networks in driving the future digital economy. A panel on sustainable infrastructure, led by Nokia’s Lieven Levrau and joined by experts from Red Hat and Orange, highlighted the Forum’s focus on reducing energy consumption while enhancing compute and network performance. A separate business panel—moderated by Reuters’ Supantha Mukherjee—brought together leaders from Ericsson, Accenture, Sony, and Business Sweden to discuss how the Forum’s work supports long-term competitiveness across sectors.
Looking forward, the Forum will prioritize the commercialization of IOWN technologies, including new focus areas such as quantum innovation. President and Chairperson Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe emphasized the Forum’s shift toward “Proof of Business” applications, with growing membership and expanding use cases as key indicators of momentum. The organization remains committed to building a secure, smart, and sustainable infrastructure for the next era of global connectivity.
- IOWN Global Forum now includes over 160 member organizations
- Stockholm meeting focused on transitioning from development to implementation
- FUTURES Stockholm featured energy efficiency and digital economy panels
- Forum aims to advance from Proof of Concept to Proof of Business across industries
- Quantum innovation and commercial rollout are key priorities for the next phase
“Five years on… we are fully focused on driving market success for the IOWN Global Forum technologies,” said Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, President and Chairperson of the IOWN Global Forum.