Research from Nokia and Analysys Mason found that around 60% of software developers are keen to write software programmes that enable developers to enrich their applications for customers with new services such as improved quality on demand.
The research surveyed 44 CSPs and 67 software developer firms around the world and assessed their attitudes on various dimensions of the concept of network-platform-as-a-service (NPaas).
The market for these services that are enabled by telecom APIs is forecast to grow from US12 billion in 2022 to US$34 billion by 2026 according to estimates from Nokia.
“In the 5G world, a new digital ecosystem is emerging, with multiple service chains of hyperscalers, infrastructure, networks, and applications being created on a case-by-case basis to create end-user value,” said Shkumbin Hamiti, head of network monetisation platform, cloud and network services at Nokia.
“This research underscores the appetite to drive this ecosystem forward, but also highlights the work to be done to facilitate a deeper understanding between CSPs and developers and the required work between them.”
Still, according to the research, while CSPs and software developers are broadly aligned in their assessment of the most important network APIs, around half of developers cited network issues, like the need for more insight and control of how network quality affects the performance of their applications, as a major challenge when trying to utilise cloud and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) services.
Further, some 76% of software developers said that network APIs must be easy to use and indicated that complexity and the lack of API documentation from CSPs currently deter them from using network APIs.
