ION-2030 (Intelligent Optical Network) Promotion Group was established in Beijing

China News Service, Beijing, September 23 (Reporter Liu Liang) On the 23rd, at the opening ceremony of the 2026 China International Information and Communications Exhibition held in Beijing, the ION-2030 (Intelligent Optical Network) Promotion Group (hereinafter referred to as the "ION-2030 Promotion Group") announced its establishment.

ION-2030 is the international optical network standard strategic framework of the International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) for 2030 and future development. In order to coordinate the advancement of my country's new generation of optical communication technology and industrial innovation and development, and strengthen counterpart research on international standards strategies, under the guidance of the Information and Communications Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology took the lead in preparing the ION-2030 promotion group to coordinate and promote the development of intelligent optical networks.

The opening ceremony of the 2026 China International Information and Communications Exhibition was held in Beijing on the 23rd. The ION-2030 (Intelligent Optical Network) Promotion Group was announced at the meeting. Photo by China News Service reporter Liu Liang

The ION-2030 (intelligent optical network) promotion group will focus on three aspects. The first is to strengthen pre-research on key technologies for new-generation optical communications and coordinate and unify my country’s optical communications technology and industry development routes. Focusing on key areas such as intelligent optical transmission, intelligent optical access, intelligent computing and optical interconnection, 6G+AI integrated transport, satellite optical communications and optical network security, we will collaboratively strengthen pre-research on key technologies for ION-2030, coordinate all parties in the industry to reach consensus to the greatest extent, promote the formation of a unified technical route for the development of my country's new generation of optical communications towards the integration of synaesthesia and computing, and consolidate and enhance my country's international leadership in optical communications technology standards.

The second is to enhance the resilience of my country's optical communications industry chain and implement a new paradigm of end-to-end coordinated development. Promote all parties in my country's optical communications industry to coordinate and strengthen the independent research and development of over 1 Tbps optical transmission equipment, intelligent optical access terminals, intelligent computing optical interconnect module device chips, hollow-core and multi-core new optical fiber cables, intelligent management and control systems, testing instruments and meters in all aspects, and other products around the ION-2030 technology development route, build a new paradigm of collaborative development of the entire industry chain, and enhance the independent and controllable competitiveness and high-quality sustainable development resilience of my country's new generation optical communications industry chain and supply chain.

The third is to expand and strengthen the application and development scale of my country's optical communications industry. Facing the domestic market, we will strengthen innovation and promotion of industrial applications, and expand the application scale of new generation optical communication technology in AI intelligent computing interconnection and vertical industries. Facing the international market, we will seize opportunities to promote international standards strategies, build an international exchange and cooperation ecosystem, and promote my country's new generation optical communication industry to become bigger and stronger.

It is reported that the core member units of the ION-2030 promotion group include China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Star Network, China Radio and Television, Pengcheng Laboratory, China Information Technology, Huawei, ZTE, etc.