July 2024 Vol. 22 No. 7

View from the Top

• Shingo Kinoshita, Senior Vice President, Head of Research and Development Planning, NTT Corporation

  

  Abstract
  In 2023, NTT Group announced its new medium-term management strategy: “New Value Creation & Sustainability 2027 Powered by IOWN.” To execute this strategy, NTT laboratories are committed to pursuing the world’s best research and development (R&D) under the following guiding principles: keep researchers motivated and excited, research and develop powerful technology to benefit society in a scalable and sustainable manner, create the future rather than predict it, and nurture intuition and be creative. We interviewed Shingo Kinoshita, NTT senior vice president, head of Research and Development Planning, about the strengths of NTT’s R&D and his mindset as a top executive.

Front-line Researchers

• Shinji Matsuo, NTT Fellow, NTT Device Technology Laboratories and NTT Basic Research Laboratories

  

  Abstract
  All-Photonics Network (APN) IOWN1.0 was launched in March 2023, marking the first commercial service of the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN). In accordance with the IOWN roadmap, optical interconnections between racks, between boards, inside a board, inside a package, and inside a chip will be sequentially achieved, and optical devices and photonics-electronics convergence devices play key roles in these interconnections. To implement these devices in commercial networks, it is necessary to achieve Moore’s law—an empirical rule that the number of devices (such as transistors) in an integrated circuit doubles about every 18 months—in optical devices. We asked Shinji Matsuo, an NTT Fellow at NTT Device Technology Laboratories and NTT Basic Research Laboratories, about the development of membrane optical devices, which integrate compound semiconductors on a silicon-photonics circuit through heterogeneous integration, and his thoughts on fostering young and mid-career researchers.

Rising Researchers

• Masahiro Nakano, Distinguished Researcher, NTT Communication Science Laboratories and NTT Basic Research Laboratories

  

  Abstract
  One field of research that is gathering attention today is statistical machine learning that aims to apply analytical data to real-world problems. Conventional analysis has mainly used methods that manually set the scale and parameters of a statistical model or training model based on the data given and that involve costly tuning. These methods, however, incur massive amounts of time and labor, so using them to analyze data that will only continue to expand from here on is difficult. To solve this problem, there is a strong demand for a new technique that automatically adjusts model scale and parameters according to the quality and volume of data. In this article, we talked with NTT Distinguished Researcher Masahiro Nakano about his research on Bayesian nonparametric methods for solving problems faced by today’s data society.

Feature Articles: High-capacity, Low-delay Transmission Technologies Utilizing Optical, Radio, and Acoustic Waves for IOWN/6G

• Achieving IOWN/6G and Creating New Value with World-leading Technologies

  

  Abstract
  NTT Network Innovation Laboratories (NIL) is committed to the practical application of IOWN (the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network) with its world-leading technological capabilities. NIL also conducts research and development with the mission of enhancing the competitiveness of the NTT Group by developing the world’s first and most advanced technologies to bring about social change and create new value. This article provides an overview of the technologies being researched and developed by NIL.

• Remote Robot Control with Haptic Feedback Enabled by Low-latency Transport and Precision Bilateral Control Technologies

  

  Abstract
  The anticipation for advancements in remote robot control technology has been growing. NTT and Sony Group Corporation have collaborated to develop and demonstrate a new remote robot control technology that includes the sensation of touch, such as the feeling of pressure and weight, using low-latency transport and precision bilateral control technologies. This technology provides detailed feedback to operators located remotely, making it feel as though they are physically interacting with objects from afar. This article discusses the potential applications of this technology in various fields, including healthcare and manufacturing.

• R&D Activities of Core Wireless Technologies to Implement the Social Infrastructure for IOWN/6G

  

  Abstract
  NTT and NTT DOCOMO are working together to implement “5G Evolution & 6G powered by IOWN,” a combination of 6th-generation mobile communication system (6G) networks and the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN). In this article, we introduce NTT Network Innovation Laboratories’ initiatives for the IOWN/6G era, including orbital angular momentum multiplexing transmission technology in the sub-terahertz band for ultra-high-speed, large-capacity communications and underwater acoustic communication technology for extreme coverage extension.

• Research and Development of 1.6-Tbit/s-class Ethernet Optical Transmission Technology Supporting Large-scale Datacenter Networks

  

  Abstract
  To improve the scalability of large-scale datacenter networks, it is necessary to achieve a 10-km transmission of 1.6-Tbit/s optical signal per fiber, which is more than 4 times the conventional practical level. In this article, we introduce a digital-signal-processing technology developed by NTT that is excellent in resistance to waveform distortion due to transmission systems, an ultra-wideband baseband amplifier integrated circuit module, and optical signal transmission experiment in which 400-Gbit/s optical-intensity-modulation signals were transmitted in 4-parallel spatial division multiplexing using a multicore fiber cable installed at NTT laboratories.

Regular Articles

• Mistimed Motor Signals from the Brain Affect Force Precision

  

  Abstract
  Even a seasoned baseball pitcher has difficulty throwing a ball to the same location repeatedly. Such movement variability is assumed to come from neural noise, which causes the muscle activity’s amplitude to fluctuate between movements. We explored an alternative source of noise, namely the variability in the muscle activity’s timing. We constructed a computational model of a shoulder controlled by two muscles then varied the muscle activity’s amplitude and timing independently to predict their effect on the shoulder’s force. These predictions were then tested by recording the muscle activity from human participants who used their shoulder to produce periodic forces. The force’s variability was explained more accurately by timing noise, suggesting that variable motor timing could play an important role in determining movement precision.

Global Standardization Activities

• ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2023 (WRC-23)

  

  Abstract
  Since radio waves used in radio communications travel across national borders, international rules are required. Therefore, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations’ organization specialized in telecommunications, set forth the Radio Regulations (RR), which provides international rules for radio waves in each frequency and in each region of the world. The RR is reviewed and revised about every four years, and the international conference held for this purpose is the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC). Since the revised RR will be reflected in the regulations of Japan, the WRC is an extremely important meeting for the NTT Group, which provides mobile phones and other wireless services. This article reports on the ITU WRC 2023 (WRC-23) held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 20 to December 15, 2023.

• Latest Trends in Open Optical Transmission Equipment in TIP OOPT

  

  Abstract
  The Telecom Infra Project Open Optical & Packet Transport (TIP OOPT) carries out activities aimed at decoupling hardware and software and accelerating innovation in optical and IP networks. This article focuses on the TIP Phoenix Project, in which operators are working together to present common use cases and specifications to encourage the entry of new vendors and reduce costs. The background of the project, efforts to date, and contribution of the NTT Group are explained.

External Awards

• External Awards