The world’s largest telecom players are uniting for a new venture that will combine and sell network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) on a global scale to spur innovation in digital services.
The newly formed company consisting of América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon, Vodafone, and Ericsson, will combine network APIs globally to ensure that new applications can work anywhere and on any network, making it easier and quicker for developers to innovate.
Network APIs are the way to easily access, use and pay for network capabilities, and this global venture will drive implementation and access to common APIs from multiple telecom service providers to a broader ecosystem of developer platforms, including hyperscalers (HCPs), Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) providers, System Integrators (SIs) and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), based on existing industry-wide CAMARA APIs (the open-source project driven by the GSMA and the Linux Foundation).
The transaction’s completion is expected by early 2025, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions, with Ericsson set to hold 50% of the equity in the venture while the telecom providers will hold 50% in total.
Ericsson President and CEO, Börje Ekholm, stated, “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.”
Additional telecom operators are encouraged to join the new company, further driving the industry and developer experience forward, and allowing all participants to tap into a significant new revenue opportunity. Three Sweden (Hi3G Access) is already in discussions.
Driving Industry Innovation Further
The new venture shareholders will bring funding and important assets, including Ericsson’s platform and network expertise, global telecom operator relationships, knowledge of the developer community and each telecom operator’s network APIs, expertise and marketing.
Additionally, Vonage and Google Cloud will partner with the new company, providing access to their ecosystems of millions of developers as well as their partners.
Here are excerpts on what the founding members have to say:
- América Móvil CEO, Daniel Hajj Aboumrad: “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.”
- AT&T CTO, Jeremy Legg: “This high-performance mobile ecosystem will usher in a new era of greater possibility for customers and mobile users around the world.”
- Bharti Airtel Managing Director and CEO, Gopal Vittal: “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 CEO, Timotheus Höttges: “The new company accelerates our leading work with MagentaBusiness APIs to expose our network capabilities for customers and developers.”
- Orange CEO, Christel Heydemann: “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.”
- Reliance Jio President, Mathew Oommen: “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 Group CEO, Kuan Moon Yuen: “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.”
- Telefónica Chairman & CEO, José María Álvarez-Pallete López: “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 CEO, Vicki Brady: "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.”
- T-Mobile President of Technology, Ulf Ewaldsson: “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.”
- Verizon EVP & President, Global Network and Technology, Joe Russo: "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.”
- Vodafone Group CEO, Margherita Della Valle: “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.”
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