OREANDA-NEWS. NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), NEC Corporation (NEC) and IIGA Co., Ltd. (IIGA) announced that the Okinawa Open Laboratory, which they jointly established to develop software-defined networking (SDN) and cloud computing technologies, began operating today at Okinawa IT Shinryo Park in Okinawa Prefecture.

The laboratory will invite engineers from private companies and academic organizations in Japan and other countries to work at the facility on the development of SDN and cloud-computing technologies and verification for commercial use. Study results will be distributed widely to the public. SDN and cloud-computing technologies have great potential for use in next-generation ICT infrastructure, but many challenges must still be overcome to fulfill the needs of providers and end users.

The three companies set up the Okinawa Open Laboratory in cooperation with Okinawa Prefecture, which aims to become a leading ICT base in Asia. Yukio Ito, Senior Vice President and concurrently Director of Service Infrastructure at NTT Com, is directing the facility.

As part of the Okinawa Smart Hub Concept promoted by Okinawa city, one of the aims of the facility is to create an environment where researchers from Asian countries can work on developing next-generation ICT technologies.