Fujitsu signed a contract with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) to establish the lab and conduct field trials towards the overseas deployment of APNs in Europe.

Düsseldorf is home to many telecom-related companies. The lab will be located near Düsseldorf International Airport and major European cities.

According to Fujitsu, open APNs facilitate the connection of multi-vendor products and solutions while also providing capacity, latency, and low power consumption.

A new IOWN service is planned to be introduced in Japan in 2025, and it is expected that APNs will become more widely known.

Fujitsu wanted to open a new lab because, as AI, big data processing, and 5G develop, “there is a demand for larger optical data transmission capacities between wireless base stations and core networks, as well as data centres.”

As telecommunication infrastructure also expands, network carriers and data centre operators want to reduce power consumption, especially in Europe where costs are soaring.

After the lab closes in March 2025, Fujitsu will conduct field trials. The company also plans to further expand its APN labs globally, including in North America.