IBM Consulting has joined the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, reinforcing the growing commercial ecosystem behind Camara-standardised network application programming interfaces (APIs).
Launched in 2023, the GSMA Open Gateway is designed to help developers and cloud providers enhance and deploy services more quickly via single points of access to operator networks. This is achieved via common, northbound-service APIs that expose mobile operators’ network capabilities in a consistent, interoperable and federated framework. The GSMA sees the move as representing a paradigm shift in the way the telecoms industry designs and delivers services in an increasingly API-based world.
Indeed, the GSMA and the project’s partners regard quality of service APIs as a key feature of future networks to offer users bandwidth-intensive, low-latency, real-time services. The APIs will be designed to provide federated access to global network capabilities with the intended result of simplifying service delivery and enabling faster time to market.
The GSMA Open Gateway’s channel partner programme, supported by more than 70 businesses, is regarded as an essential driver of network API adoption, acting as the interface between operators and enterprise markets to ensure that Camara API capabilities are packaged and delivered in ways that meet real business needs.
Camara is a Linux Foundation open source project that defines, develops and tests APIs. It works in close collaboration with the GSMA Operator Platform Group to align API requirements, and publish API definitions and APIs. Harmonisation of APIs is said to be achieved through fast and agile created working code with developer-friendly documentation. API definitions and reference implementations are free to use.
4G and 5G network capabilities are functions partly available already in 4G, but are said to be new and much more powerful in a 5G network. These functions are designed to be able to get information out of the network but also to configure it.
Global mobile comms trade association the GSMA says the on-demand, secure and controlled exposure of these capabilities pave the way for transforming operator networks into service enablement platforms, facilitating the application-to-network integration, which will be key to deliver enhanced and service-tailored customer experience in the 5G era.
IBM Consulting’s participation is designed to further bolster the GSMA Open Gateway channel partner community, which includes technology firms such as Alibaba Cloud, Meta, Microsoft and Oracle. Over 300 mobile networks, representing more than 80% of the world’s mobile connections, are taking part in the initiative.
IBM’s support for the Open Gateway initiative is designed to help with initial discovery and use-case definition through to solution architecture, systems integration and managed services. The GSMA says the result will be an end-to-end delivery capability that bridges the gap between API availability and production-ready deployment at scale.
Drawing on its expertise in the communications and public sector domains, alongside enterprise consulting and systems integration capabilities, IBM Consulting says it can support enterprises in designing, deploying and scaling network API-driven services.
By bridging the gap between mobile network capabilities and enterprise application environments, IBM also believes it can enable the practical adoption of APIs in complex, regulated industries, helping organisations move from initial use-case exploration to fully operational, production-grade deployments that deliver measurable business value.
“Network data can provide organisations with a wealth of decision-making intelligence, and through the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, Camara-enabled network APIs can help address real-life challenges for businesses,” said Rahul Kumar, senior partner and vice-president, and global industry leader for the telecommunications and media industries, at IBM Consulting.
“IBM Consulting’s experience and expertise allow us to further support our enterprise and public sector clients by working with the GSMA and the mobile operator community to unleash the power of modern-day networks.”
Henry Calvert, head of networks at GSMA, added: “Industry channel partners, such as IBM, can play a vital role in helping enterprises access trusted, real-time mobile network insights around identity, location, risk and performance using network APIs. IBM’s combination of consulting credibility and systems delivery expertise can play a key role in helping move network APIs from compelling propositions to practical, scalable solutions that form part of mainstream enterprise infrastructure.”
