Japan is pushing photonic networking closer to mainstream adoption as seven telecom and technology companies back a new international framework aimed at making low-latency, energy-efficient connectivity easier to deploy across operators. The ITU-T approved Recommendation Y.3335 on August 13.
The significance lies less in another network specification than in the attempt to create common ground for All-Photonics Networks (APN). The framework defines network configurations and technical requirements for establishing low-latency, energy-efficient communication paths between different operators, potentially making APN services easier to extend across networks and geographically distributed sites.
That could become increasingly important as AI workloads move beyond centralized data centers and into applications involving robots, sensors, and other distributed systems. The companies say APN can provide the high-capacity, low-latency connectivity needed for services such as physical AI, including real-time processing of data from remote sensors and robots, while reducing network energy requirements.
Interoperability remains a key hurdle. The IOWN Global Forum is developing APN architecture and functional requirements, while separate work is exploring photonic network federation to connect APNs operated by different providers. Y.3335 provides an internationally agreed framework intended to help bridge these efforts and support broader adoption.
The seven companies — KDDI, NTT, 1Finity, NEC, Rakuten Mobile, Oki Electric Industry and Sumitomo Electric Industries — will continue contributing to standardization efforts in Japan and overseas. They are also working within the ITU-T on a recommendation covering the functional architecture of low-latency, energy-efficient networks, targeted for October 2028.
Juan Pedro Tomas
Editor
RCR Wireless News
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