Historical alliance in the world telecommunications industry to jam their networks with new digital businesses. About twenty operators from all over the world – among them the main operators operating in the Spanish market: Telephone, Orange and Vodafone– they will come together to revolutionize the way they operate their networks, and they will do so in a coordinated way to illuminate a new way to make themselves profitable.
captained by Global employer of mobile industry GSMApromoter Mobile World Congress (MWC) Held in Barcelona this week, telecom companies from Europe, America and Asia are promoting the development of a new business model by transforming fiber networks into unique digital service platforms for companies.
The alliance aims to revolutionize the role of telecommunications companies in the digital ecosystem. The goal is not for networks to be just a voice and data transport channel (and telecom only charges for it), but to add new layers with new capacities and sell on-demand services to companies (to turn it into a new source of revenue for operators) thanks to digitalisation. Networks cease to be just a telecommunications link and become a kind of ‘supercomputer’ for developing multiple new digital businesses.
The first step towards achieving this is to pave the way for the development of these digital services while also making it easier for other technology groups to help create them. The 21 global carriers participating in the agreement are coming together to open and standardize the digital applications that digital service developers must use. However, developers will not have to create different applications for each telecom, but will be able to use a single application type for all operators’ networks.
baptized as Open Gateway (open door, English), GSMA supports this global initiative to establish this standard for APIs (application programming interfaces) will be used by all networks, thus making it easier for developers to access. APIs are lines of code that allow two software components to communicate with each other using a set of protocols. In the case of GSMA Open GatewayAPIs allow you to perform tasks such as fetching information from the network or configuring it for a specific purpose such as cybersecurity, location, or billing.
Started by initiative eight universal network APIs are already being tested and aim to release more in 2023. The companies behind the international agreement include telecom companies from around the world such as Telefónica, Vodafone, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, America Movil, AT&T, Axiata, Bharti Airtel, China Mobile, e& Group, KDDI, KT, Liberty Global, MTN, Singtel. Swisscom, STC, Telenor, Telstra, TIM or Verizon.
“Telecommunications companies have come a long way in developing a global platform that will connect everyone and everything. And now, by combining APIs and applying the concept of interoperability, mobile operators and cloud services will truly integrate to enable a new world of opportunities. Collaboration between telecommunications operators and cloud providers is crucial in this new digital ecosystem.” Jose Maria Alvarez-PaletteHe is president of Telefónica, which brings together 800 telecommunications operators and nearly 300 technology companies connected to the mobile industry, and also president of GSMA, the global employers association.
“In 1987, representatives from 13 countries worked together to harmonize mobile voice services and enable roaming, and 35 years later I believe the GSMA Open Gateway has the potential to have a similar impact for digital services,” summarizes CEO Mats Granryd. GSMA. “By applying the concept of carrier interconnection to the API world, developers can leverage the technology for services such as identity, cybersecurity or billing and have the potential to integrate it for all carriers around the world. This is a fundamental shift in the way we design and deliver services.”