In the early days of the telecommunications industry, Mobile Network Operators fiercely competed against each other to gain market share, attract customers, and dominate the rapidly growing mobile landscape. The race to offer the latest technology, best coverage, and most attractive pricing led to intense rivalry among operators that didn´t necessarily benefit the end customer.
However, over the past couple of years, there has been a noticeable shift in the industry dynamics, with Mobile Operators moving from competition to strategic collaboration. This transition has been driven by GSMA after the announcement in MWC23, trying to drive revenue for their members by transforming and delivering API technology into the digital space.
APIs are not new for the Telecom industry, but now we have mature 4G and new 5G networks with ‘APIs’ in their DNA, teams of API developers dedicated to the Network as a Platform, public collaboration on standards definitions with developers, and full executive buy-in to unlock the capabilities and information of the network via secure and safe APIs.
This shift towards collaboration has manifested in several key ways.
First, industry bodies like GSMA or CAMARA. CAMARA APIs are the direction of travel for the industry. They are developer friendly, built to one standardised spec, which delivers consistency, simplicity, and accessibility to the developers, and should lead to more network operators implementing these APIs. CAMARA Network APIs are designed the way developer customers want them, and help developers scale more efficiently. The idea is to simplify telco complexity making APIs easy to consume for developers, aggregator partners and customers with limited telco expertise. Vodafone is working to promote the adoption of CAMARA-spec APIs through the Open Gateway API Product Workstream. GSMA Open Gateway is a way to make these APIs more accessible. Aids to gain exposure, showcase value, and monetise network capabilities through the APIs and exists to accelerate industry collaboration across Local Market Champion countries to deploy standardised CAMARA-spec APIs.
Next, is Mobile Operators' collaboration. Is what will make it universal. Around 65% of the mobile connections worldwide are involved in GSAM Open Gateway. Vodafone is committed to working with other mobile operators and industry bodies (GSMA, CAMARA) on common network APIs to provide universal access to operator networks for developers across Europe.
And last, the developer community. It is very important to establish a single global interface and digital channel to collaborate with the global Developer community, meet their needs and drive innovation. This engagement will drive the future of digital connectivity establishing and API-first portfolio of products that supports industry initiatives and encourages growth in 5G and Network innovation.
The transition from competition to collaboration marks a significant evolution in the Mobile Telecommunications industry. While competition once drove the expansion and innovation of mobile services, the challenges of modern markets have necessitated a more cooperative approach.
By embracing collaboration, Mobile Operators can:
radically simplify the integration of new services,
enhance time to market
allows for faster onboarding and more consistent experiences for the end customers.
Operators have begun to build a unified ecosystem and unlock the full potential of 5G networks. This has culminated in the birth of a new API era.
Written by Víctor Fernández ©TheNTWK
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