Global dataspace collaboration: Bridging Europe and Japan through innovation

In a major step towards fostering global data ecosystems, T-Systems and NTT Communications have joined forces to establish a telco carrier dataspace partnership in Japan. This collaboration combines the expertise of two leading digital service providers to accelerate the adoption of dataspaces and ensure seamless interoperability between Europe and Japan.

T-Systems, a pioneer in digital services and a founding member of Gaia-X, provides technical leadership and proven solutions such as Data Intelligence Hub. NTT Communications, with its global telecommunications network, contributes to the internationalization of trusted dataspaces, ensuring secure and efficient data exchange. By joining forces, two companies aim to contribute to the growing movement towards secure, sovereign, and globally interoperable data-sharing ecosystems.

Overcoming challenges with expertise

The success of dataspaces depends on achieving international standards for trust, security, and interoperability. Telecom operators, with their long-standing expertise in providing global connectivity, have a key role to play in this landscape.

The International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) established a global telco community in June 2024, with NTT, T-Systems, and KPN as founding members. As highlighted by NTT Communications, dataspaces have the potential to evolve into essential telecommunication services, similar to phone networks or email systems.

Driving dataspace development in Japan

While Europe has made significant progress in implementing and operating dataspaces, Japan is still in the early stages of development. The lack of vendors, service providers, and active users underlines the need for collaboration. Recognizing this gap, NTT Communications has partnered with T-Systems to provide a test environment tailored to Japanese users.

“T-Systems is a global leader in trusted data spaces, offering cutting-edge solutions like IDSA-certified connectors and Gaia-X trust frameworks. Their Build & Operate testbed enables real-world testing and innovation. Together, we are advancing globally connected data spaces, combining T-Systems’ digital infrastructure expertise with our local market knowledge. This partnership provides Japanese organizations with a leading testbed environment, unlocking opportunities for innovation and secure cross-border data sharing between Japan and Europe. This collaboration fosters international trust, interoperability, and innovation in the digital economy.” Akira Sakaino, Director, Evangelist, Smart World Business, NTT Communications

This dataspace test environment uses T-Systems’ Build & Operate, a robust dataspace-as-a-service development platform hosted on cloud infrastructure in Germany. Japanese organizations, universities, and companies—including prominent names such as the IDSA Japan Hub, the University of Tokyo, Keio University, Fujitsu, and OMRON—can access this environment through NTT Communications’ cloud infrastructure. As well as enabling interoperability testing, this facility aims to increase the number of dataspace developers and users in Japan, fostering a thriving ecosystem.

Partnership announcement at Data Spaces Week 2024

During Data Spaces Week 2024, NTT Communications and T-Systems proudly announced their strategic partnership, accompanied by several promotions from each company:

_{Image 1. NTT Communications & T-Systems teams}

The event brought together over 600 participants from around the world to advance data federation efforts and address critical challenges in secure and interoperable data sharing. The partnership reflects and aligns with the week’s core themes to foster international collaboration in dataspaces, including:

Data federation and sovereignty: Initiatives such as DATA-EX demonstrate the importance of federated data sharing platforms to promote interoperability and sovereignty while addressing pressing societal needs such as carbon footprint tracking.
Global standardization and trust: Discussions at the IDSA Data Spaces Discovery Day Tokyo and IEEE Working Group highlighted the need to build trust and establish standardized protocols, which are critical for cross-border and cross-sector collaboration.
Open data and interoperability: Sessions from the Asia Open Data Partnership (AODP) highlighted how open data frameworks and regional collaboration are advancing global data ecosystems.
Sector-specific applications: From manufacturing to urban data sharing, practical use cases demonstrated the transformative potential of dataspaces.

Towards multi-regional dataspaces

This collaboration is a crucial step towards creating a globally trusted dataspace infrastructure. By enabling interoperability between Europe and Japan, the partnership addresses regional challenges while laying the groundwork for a multi-regional, cross-industry dataspace network.

At the heart of this collaboration is the ambition to establish multi-regional dataspaces. As highlighted by Christine Knackfuss-Nikolic, CTO of T-Systems, in her LinkedIn post:

"Yes, we can – connecting dataspaces globally! NTT Communications and T-Systems are jointly providing a dataspace test environment in Japan to accelerate the development of new data ecosystems and connect dataspaces between Europe and Japan. We aim to test the interaction of two regional dataspaces, including identity, onboarding, data transfer, and service discovery, by the end of the year." Christine Knackfuss-Nikolic, CTO of T-Systems

T-Systems and NTT Communications will conduct joint tests to confirm interoperability between data ecosystems in Germany and Japan. Core federated services such as identity management, onboarding, data transfer, and service discovery will be tested across the two regions. The integration of the Gaia-X Digital Clearing House services is a cornerstone of this effort. This will ensure mutual recognition of trust anchors, enabling seamless and secure international data exchange. Together, T-Systems and NTT Communications are laying the foundation for a future in which data ecosystems transcend borders, fostering innovation, trust, and security on a global scale.