A group of the world’s largest telecom operators, including América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone, have partnered with Ericsson to launch a new venture focused on combining and selling network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) globally. The venture aims to streamline access to advanced network capabilities, enabling developers to innovate more easily across different telecom networks. By providing common APIs to developers, the venture is expected to drive new applications that can work across any network, offering a significant boost to digital service innovation.
Historically, the advanced features of mobile networks have been difficult for developers to access, largely due to the fragmented nature of telecom capabilities across multiple providers. This new venture will address that issue by offering a unified platform for APIs, making it simpler for developers to integrate and utilize network functionalities. Applications in areas such as fraud prevention, device status checking for services, and many others are expected to emerge from this initiative.
The new venture, backed by major telecom players and supported by partners such as Vonage and Google Cloud, will provide APIs to a wide array of developer ecosystems, including Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) providers, System Integrators (SIs), and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). The platform will build on the industry-wide CAMARA APIs and is designed to be open and non-discriminatory to foster maximum innovation. Regulatory approvals are expected by early 2025, with Ericsson holding 50% of the equity in the new company.
• Telecom giants partner with Ericsson to create a global network API venture.
• The venture will simplify developer access to telecom capabilities across networks.
• APIs will support fraud prevention, quality adjustment, and other new applications.
• Partners include Vonage and Google Cloud, offering access to millions of developers.
• The platform will use open-source CAMARA APIs and follow GSMA Open Gateway principles.
• Telecom operator Three Sweden (Hi3G Access) is in talks to join the initiative.
• The deal is expected to close in early 2025, subject to regulatory approvals.
América Móvil
Daniel Hajj, Chief Executive Officer, 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.”
AT&T
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.”
Bharti Airtel
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.”
Deutsche Telekom
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.”
Ericsson
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.”
Orange
Christel Heydemann, Chief Executive Officer, 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.”
Reliance Jio
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.”
Singtel
Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, Group Chief Executive Officer, 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.”
Telefonica
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.”
Telstra
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.”
T-Mobile
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.”
Verizon
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.”
Vodafone
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.”
Google Cloud
Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud: ”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.”
Vonage
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, we look forward to engaging our developer community as we grow the network API business.”
