The rollout makes China the first country to bring the OTP API to market.
It also represents China’s first commercial API launch since signing up to GSMA Open Gateway in June 2023.
The GSMA Open Gateway initiative is designed to accelerate the growth of digital services and apps by providing developers with universal access to operator networks. It was unveiled at the GSMA’s flagship Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona last February.
The GSMA, mobile operators and channel partners of the initiative are focusing initial GSMA Open Gateway API launches on tackling online crime.
In China, the Ministry of Public Security solved 391,000 cases of telecom and online fraud between January and November 2023, highlighting the scale of online fraud in China.
Indeed, online fraud is one of the most pressing issues facing e-commerce globally, and the GSMA and its partners hope adoption of the OTP API will reduce the severity of the threat.
Developers can use the Open Gateway OTP API to improve the security of their mobile Apps and online services by delivering a one-time password via SMS, which end users can use to provide proof of possession of a phone number and verify their identity.
In addition to the announcement by the Chinese MNOs, vendors ZTE and Huawei and telecom service provider CITIC have also joined the gateway program.
“The GSMA Open Gateway initiative represents a revolutionary leap in mobile communication technology,” said Dickson Ip, CTO at CITIC Telecom.
“By providing open and interoperable API gateway solutions, we are paving the way for the future of global mobile interconnection. Enterprises can effortlessly leverage the power of 5G mobile networks to drive innovation and unleash new business opportunities.
“After joining the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, CITIC Telecom will become an important partner and supporter of Open Gateway to connect enterprises and carriers, and to provide secure and stable commercial network API services to enterprise markets and developers.”
