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The Chilean research and education network has joined a global community of more than 170 organisations working to advance future networks through innovation in optical and wireless technologies and distributed processing.

(Originally published by REUNA. Credit: Carolina Muñoz, Deputy Communications Manager at REUNA.)

IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) is a technological initiative led by NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation), in collaboration with companies and research centres worldwide. Its objective is to redefine the communications infrastructure of the future by integrating advanced optical networks, next-generation wireless technologies, and intelligent distributed processing systems, with a view to advancing towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible society.

To drive this vision forward, the IOWN Global Forum was created as a community bringing together more than 170 leading organisations from the global technology ecosystem, working to accelerate innovation and the adoption of photonics-based technologies. REUNA has now joined this international collaborative space, becoming the first research and education network to take part in this initiative.

As explained by Paola Arellano, Executive Director of REUNA: “Chile’s participation, through REUNA, in this initiative will allow us to be part of the global discussion on the challenges ahead in digital infrastructure, such as the adoption of technologies that improve energy efficiency and network performance. It will also enable us to take part in continental-scale experiments to test these technologies and promote their implementation.”

Arellano added that advancing towards more sustainable and high-performance digital infrastructures will require a joint effort across the entire technology ecosystem. “We hope that, through this membership, we will be able to bring together the national research community to participate and collaborate in the development of new solutions.”

For his part, Katsuhiko Kawazoe, President of the IOWN Global Forum and Executive Vice President of NTT, stated that this partnership strengthens the international cooperation that has historically existed between scientific and academic institutions on both sides of the Pacific. “Chile and Japan share a long history of research and development. With REUNA’s participation in the IOWN Global Forum, we can take this collaboration to a new level,” he noted.

Background to a pioneering collaboration

The relationship between REUNA and NTT dates back to the early 2000s, when both organisations took part in a pioneering experiment that enabled remote operation, from Japan, of a robotic arm belonging to Codelco in Chile. This milestone represented an unprecedented global collaboration for the country, integrating the research and education networks of Chile, Latin America, the United States, and Japan.

Years later, together with the National Laboratory for High-Performance Computing (NLHPC) and using NTT optical technology, a metropolitan photonic ring was deployed. This advanced digital infrastructure enabled the interconnection of computing centres across several universities in Santiago, creating an important space for technological experimentation and learning.

Opportunities to advance innovation and experimentation

REUNA’s participation in the IOWN Global Forum opens up new opportunities for collaboration, including the possibility of implementing technological pilots with Chilean institutions.

According to Kawazoe, academic networks play a key role in bringing innovation closer to society by democratising access to cutting-edge solutions. “Innovation does not reach society quickly. In that sense, networks such as REUNA are very important, because their participation in initiatives like the IOWN Global Forum enables academic and research institutions to make use of these types of networks and technologies.”

The President of the Forum also highlighted REUNA’s understanding of the scientific and academic community, which will facilitate the development of new technological solutions, in collaboration with NTT, tailored to users’ needs.

In a context where large-scale scientific projects—such as astronomical observatories or artificial intelligence computing centres—generate massive volumes of data that must be transferred within seconds to processing centres distributed across the world, strengthening network collaboration becomes essential. Having more robust, resilient and efficient digital infrastructures is therefore a key challenge for the advancement of science and the generation of new knowledge.

For more information, visit:
https://www.reuna.cl/
https://www.rd.ntt/e/iown/
https://iowngf.org/