In a landmark move, some of the world’s leading telecom operators, including América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone, along with Ericsson, have announced a new venture aimed at accelerating the adoption and innovation of network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
The newly formed company is set to transform the telecom industry by offering network APIs on a global scale, unlocking new monetisation opportunities and enhancing the development of digital services.
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Network APIs allow developers to access and utilise advanced network capabilities easily, which have traditionally been inaccessible or difficult to integrate due to the fragmented nature of telecom services. By creating a unified approach to network APIs, the venture will simplify access for developers and service providers, paving the way for seamless integration across networks worldwide. The initiative will drive the implementation of common APIs from multiple telecom service providers, empowering developers to innovate faster and with greater flexibility.
Historically, the advanced capabilities of modern mobile networks have been challenging for developers to access, and integrating with individual telecom operators has been both complex and impractical. The new company aims to change this by creating a global API platform, allowing developers to build applications that function across any network, reducing barriers to innovation. This shift is expected to open up new possibilities in sectors such as financial services, where anti-fraud verification could become more robust, or streaming services, which could adjust video quality dynamically based on network conditions.
The newly formed venture will offer its APIs to a broad range of developer platforms, including hyperscalers (HCPs), Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) providers, System Integrators (SIs), and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). These APIs will be built on existing industry-wide CAMARA APIs, a project driven by the GSMA and Linux Foundation. Key partners, including Vonage and Google Cloud, will provide access to their developer ecosystems, further expanding the reach of the platform.
Ericsson, leveraging its platform and network expertise, will hold a 50% stake in the venture, while the telecom operators will share the remaining equity. Additional telecom operators, such as Three Sweden (Hi3G Access), are already in discussions to join the initiative. The transaction is expected to close in early 2025, pending regulatory approval, and aims to create an open, non-discriminatory platform that will drive significant new revenue opportunities for the telecom industry.
This new venture represents a major step forward in the telecom sector, enabling developers to innovate with advanced network capabilities and driving growth across multiple industries.
Quotes from the partners
Daniel Hajj, CEO, AMX: “We are very excited to join Ericsson and other key players in our industry in this innovative global platform initiative that will benefit the digital ecosystem as a whole. New API solutions will establish exciting value-added offerings to our customers on the top of our networks’ infrastructure.”
Jeremy Legg, chief technology officer, AT&T: “At AT&T, we’ve been creating API tools to empower developers for well over a decade. Now, with a broad-based, interoperable API platform, we’re giving innovators a new global toolbox where the world’s best app developers can create exciting user experiences at scale. This high-performance mobile ecosystem will usher in a new era of greater possibility for customers and mobile users around the world.”
Gopal Vittal, managing director and CEO, Bharti Airtel: “Today marks a defining moment as the industry comes together to form a unified platform that will allow more developers and businesses to utilize our networks and explore API opportunities through open gateway principles. This move will enhance network monetization opportunities. Airtel is delighted to partner in this initiative that will help enable the telecom sector to drive growth and innovation across the ecosystem.”
Tim Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom: “The new company accelerates our leading work with MagentaBusiness APIs to expose our network capabilities for customers and developers. We believe that this company will open up new monetization opportunities for the industry. We encourage and look forward to more telecom operators joining us to expand and develop this ecosystem.”
Börje Ekholm, president and CEO, Ericsson: “Today is a defining moment for the industry and milestone in our strategy to open up the network for increased monetization opportunities. A global platform built on Ericsson’s deep technical capabilities and with a comprehensive ecosystem, that provides millions of developers with a single connection, will enable the telecom industry to invest deeper into the network API opportunity, driving growth and innovation for everyone.”
Christel Heydemann, CEO, Orange: “This is a critical first step in our innovation journey to fully harness the power of our networks at scale, providing secure access to new on-demand network services and advanced network capabilities. By delivering a common and simple set of network APIs for developers globally, we can unleash this network value for businesses, large and small. This is a definitive gamechanger for businesses, opening up the possibility of a new wave of digital services.”
Mathew Oommen, president, Reliance Jio: “We spearheaded the transformation of both mobile and fixed home broadband by delivering affordable, high-quality broadband to everyone, across India. As we rapidly adopt an AI and API-driven technology ecosystem—by collaborating with global leaders, Jio is thrilled to offer a suite of innovative and transformative APIs to enterprises and developers worldwide. Together, we are not just building networks; we are laying the foundation for a smarter, more connected, and inclusive world in the AI era.”
Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, group CEO, Singtel, “This unified platform and global eco-system will enable even more developers and businesses to leverage 5G quality networks to exploit API opportunities using GSMA’s open gateway principles. We look forward to helping even more enterprises and organizations in Asia to use network API solutions to drive growth and innovation through this timely collaboration.”
José María Álvarez-Pallete, chairman & CEO of Telefónica: “This collaboration will drive the GSMA Open Gateway initiative and provide customers with a consistent set of Camara APIs. Our belief is that this industry movement, which will be open to all networks, can set the stage for unprecedented innovation and value creation for the sector, by unlocking the potential of network capabilities.”
Vicki Brady, CEO of Telstra: "This is a groundbreaking initiative for our industry. This new global venture will create an ecosystem that provides developers, partners and customers with access to programmable, advanced network capabilities that will unleash a new wave of innovation in digital services and further unlocks the benefits of our 5G network. We’ve been making good progress locally with Ericsson and other partners, and we look forward to further accelerating digital transformation for our Australian customers and bringing value and simplicity to application developers around the world.”
Ulf Ewaldsson, president of technology, T-Mobile: “At T-Mobile, we’ve always been laser focused on championing change across the industry to create the best customer experiences, while fueling growth and innovation across the entire wireless ecosystem. That level of transformation takes unprecedented collaboration and expertise. We are excited about the possibilities this venture will create for developers and wireless customers around the world.”
Joe Russo, EVP & president, global network and technology of Verizon: "The depth and value of the services and data insights accessible through Verizon's renowned 5G network are practically boundless. Verizon has been at the forefront of developing various network APIs to assist developers in enhancing customer security, reducing pain points in customer interactions, and enabling the creation of novel experiences. This exciting collaboration with global partners will broaden the availability of these services and accelerate adoption of APIs worldwide."
Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone group chief executive, said: “Network APIs are reshaping our industry. This pioneering partnership will enable businesses and developers to use the collective strength of our global networks to develop applications that drive growth, create jobs, and improve public services. Just as 4G and smartphones made apps integral to our everyday life, the power of our 5G network will stimulate the next wave of digital services.”
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said, ”We understand the power of an open platform and ecosystem in driving innovation. We are proud to participate in this important partnership in the telco industry to create value for our global customers via network APIs – and ultimately deliver on the promise of the public cloud.”
Niklas Heuveldop, CEO Vonage: “This groundbreaking, open industry collaboration effectively removes the single largest barrier for developers to leverage mobile networks to their full potential. Developers across the world’s leading developer platforms will benefit from accessing advanced network capabilities in partner networks globally through common APIs, accelerating the digital transformation of businesses and the public sector. As one of the leading developer platforms, and we look forward to engaging our developer community as we grow the network API business.”
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