Global telecommunications leaders join forces to reform the industry through network APIs

2024-09-16 17:39:00, Aktualitet CNA

Global telecommunications leaders join forces to reform the industry through

On September 13, some of the world's largest telecommunications operators, including América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone, together with Ericsson, announced a new initiative to combine and sell network APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) on a global scale. This will further drive innovation in digital services. Part of the historic agreement is the establishment of a company, which will create new monetization opportunities for the industry.

Network APIs make it easy to access, use and pay for network capacity. The initiative will help implement and access common APIs from multiple telecommunications service providers, thereby creating a broader ecosystem of developer platforms.

Modern mobile networks have advanced and intelligent capabilities that have historically been beyond the reach of developers. Furthermore, the latter have found it difficult to integrate the different capacities of hundreds of individual telecommunication operators. The newly formed company will combine network APIs globally, with the vision that new applications will run anywhere and on any network, making it easier and faster for developers to innovate.

Margherita Della Valle, CEO of the Vodafone Group, said: “Network APIs are reforming our industry. This partnership will enable businesses and developers to leverage the collective power of our global networks to develop applications that drive growth, create jobs and improve public services. Just as 4G and smartphones made apps an integral part of our daily lives, the power of our 5G network will drive the next wave of digital services.”

Advanced network capabilities will open the next frontier in application development and empower developers to use them in many sectors such as fraud verification for financial transactions and the ability to check device status so streaming providers can dynamically adjust video quality.

Other telecommunications operators are encouraged to join the new company, further boosting the industry and developer experience and allowing all participants to benefit from a new opportunity to secure income, such as the telecommunications operator Three Sweden (Hi3G Access ), which is already in discussions to join the initiative.

Closing of the transaction is expected to occur in early 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions. After the transaction closes, Ericsson will own 50% of the equity in the venture, while the telecommunications providers will own 50% in total.

As always, Vodafone remains a pioneer of major technological developments, always open to any movement that contributes to the reformation and growth of the telecommunications industry.