Insider Brief
- The NTT Group will jointly exhibit at MWC Barcelona 2026 from March 2–5, marking its first combined exhibition in seven years.
- The group will present photonics-based technologies under its IOWN initiative, focusing on energy-efficient infrastructure, AI resilience, and optical quantum computing.
- NTT President and CEO Akira Shimada will deliver a keynote highlighting photonics-electronics convergence and the development of optical quantum computers.
PRESS RELEASE — The NTT Group, comprising NTT, Inc., NTT DOCOMO, INC., and NTT DATA Group Corporation, announced today that they will jointly exhibit at MWC Barcelona 2026, the world’s largest connectivity event, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from March 2 to March 5, 2026. At this event, the NTT Group will showcase its technological capabilities and foster deeper connections with leading global companies. Under the unified concept introduced following the corporate identity (CI) renewal on July 1, 2025, the NTT Group aims to strengthen its global brand presence and expand its business internationally. This will be the NTT Group’s first joint exhibition in seven years since 2019.
Under the theme, “Photonics Unlocks an Intelligent Power-Optimized Future,” the NTT Group will present its initiatives centered around IOWN1 optical technologies. These initiatives aim to address the anticipated rise in energy consumption resulting from the expanding use of AI by advancing low-power consumption solutions. The exhibition will also feature a range of AI-powered services, solutions, and applications in digital infrastructure, all aimed at enhancing people’s lives and business activities, ultimately fostering a more sustainable society.
As part of the event, NTT’s President and CEO, Akira Shimada, will deliver a keynote speech on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. His presentation will emphasize the transformative potential of IOWN’s optical technologies for reducing power consumption, while introducing key initiatives such as the commercialization of photonics-electronics convergence devices and the development of optical quantum computers.
Exhibits will be organized into two main themes: “AI-Resilient Infrastructure with Photonics,” which focuses on leveraging optical technologies to build sustainable and energy-efficient infrastructure for an AI-driven society, and “AI-Powered Services and Solutions,” which highlights how AI is applied in real-world use cases today.
Under “AI-Resilient Infrastructure with Photonics,” the NTT Group will showcase its latest initiatives surrounding IOWN, photonics-electronics convergence technology that improves energy efficiency in data centers, and optical quantum computing, which enables large-scale computation with less space, high speed, low power consumption, and lower costs. These innovations represent sustainable infrastructure tailored to support the growing adoption of AI. Additionally, the NTT Group will present advancements in the integration of AI within 6G mobile networks, including Network for AI,2 a concept envisioning seamless coexistence between humans, AI, and robots.
Under “AI-Powered Services and Solutions,” the exhibition will highlight initiatives and solutions that drive global transformation across corporate activities and industries by presenting NTT DATA’s Agentic AI solution, as well as a DOCOMO’s platform that enables remote robot operation and autonomous control through Physical AI. For individual customers, highlights include DOCOMO’s new personal AI agent and AI-driven solutions under development that enable immersive entertainment experiences.
For details on the exhibition content and an overview of the event, please refer to the appendix and dedicated special website.3
Through its participation in MWC Barcelona 2026, the NTT Group will showcase and promote initiatives centered around IOWN optical technologies to build infrastructure that supports the low power future. Additionally, it will advance efforts to leverage AI in enhancing people’s lives and business activities, driving the transformation toward a more fulfilling society.
