A new global collaboration among the world’s leading mobile operators is set to accelerate innovation across industries such as finance, retail, transportation, and healthcare. The GSMA Open Gateway initiative gives developers streamlined access to core mobile network capabilities through standardized, open application programming interfaces (APIs), enabling new services and more seamless integration between networks and applications.
The initiative initially focuses on security: number verification and SIM swap detection APIs are being rolled out by operator groups in 42 countries, including Spain, Indonesia, South Africa, and the United States. These APIs help enterprises and developers build safer authentication and identity workflows directly integrated with mobile networks.
Javier Pascual Izquierdo, B2B Marketing, Presales and Deployment Director at Telefónica España, said that Open Gateway is a major innovation for telecommunications, transforming communication networks into programmable digital platforms through global, standardized APIs.
SIM swap detection identifies changes to the SIM card associated with a phone number, helping to prevent fraudulent account takeovers. Number verification enhances mobile-based authentication by confirming user identity more reliably than SMS one-time passwords, which can be delayed or intercepted.
The new capabilities developed by Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone are aimed at addressing a sharp rise in cyber fraud in Spain, where incidents climbed more than 70% between 2019 and 2022.
Juan Reyero Montes, Enterprise Marketing Director at Orange Spain, noted that the launch of these two APIs in the Spanish market demonstrates the value Orange and partner operators can deliver: leveraging network capabilities to improve transaction security while enhancing customer experience through seamless authentication.
In Indonesia, Telkomsel, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, XL Axiata and Smartfren are also opening network API access. They emphasize Open Gateway’s potential to foster sustainable digital ecosystem growth and support emerging technologies across the country.
Wong Soon Nam, Director of Planning and Transformation at Telkomsel, said the collaboration among Indonesian operators aims to create interconnections that will propel telecommunications advancements and provide enhanced value to customers via digital platforms and services, contributing to national progress.
Growing opportunities across sectors
Globally, more than 30 network capabilities are now in testing or production among Open Gateway participants. These go beyond security and include services such as 5G connectivity, device detection and subscriber verification, expanding the range of developer use cases.
By exposing mobile network information via APIs, companies like US-based Inspired Flight Technologies have demonstrated how connectivity data can improve drone flight operations and management. Access to network insights helps optimize routing, resource allocation and mission planning, especially during emergency responses.
Adam Bilmes, Senior Director of Business Development at Inspired Flight Technologies, explained that API access to network information enables better support for drone operations—to quickly direct relief after weather events and to survey communications infrastructure and other assets to speed recovery efforts.
In banking and financial services, South African operators are adopting SIM swap detection and number verification to help combat fraud, which resulted in losses exceeding $44 million last year in the country.
Angela Wamola, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at the GSMA, said banking fraud is a growing threat in South Africa and mobile network operators are well placed to collaborate with developers to help banks, financial institutions and commerce providers mitigate risk and protect customers. She added that these two APIs give enterprises additional tools to verify customers’ identities and guard against identity theft while preserving a smooth user experience—and that the GSMA Open Gateway provides a single integration that works across multiple operators.
Innovation through collaboration
Open Gateway’s core strength lies in common standards and simplified integrations. By offering a consistent, industry-wide API model, the initiative reduces fragmentation and lowers the barrier to entry for developers and businesses seeking to build on network capabilities.
Karri Kuoppamaki, SVP of Advanced and Emerging Technologies at T-Mobile, described programmable networks as the next frontier for developers. He emphasized that today’s higher speeds, lower latency and greater capacity provide a new foundation for developer innovation and operator value—and that the industry is only at the start of unlocking this potential.
Universal network access through standardized APIs can accelerate innovation across a global developer community. More than 237 operator networks participating in Open Gateway are contributing to an unprecedented level of collaboration that promises to broaden access to reliable network services.
Srini Kalapala, SVP of Technology and Product Development at Verizon, said network APIs bring advanced network capabilities to enterprises and developers worldwide, highlighting the potential of 5G to speed digital transformation, drive innovation, and boost growth and profitability. He added that industry-wide adherence to open API standards will accelerate adoption of these tools.
As 5G deployment continues and new mobile technologies emerge, Open Gateway’s expanding catalogue of tested API capabilities aims to drive digital transformation across businesses and society. The initiative targets use cases ranging from autonomous vehicles and fleet management to enhanced drone services, robotics, extended reality and immersive online gaming—areas that require reliable, on-demand network performance.
Henry Calvert, Head of Networks at the GSMA, compared Open Gateway’s potential to the impact of open standards and interoperability on mobile voice and roaming decades ago. He said Open Gateway could open the door to a wide range of new 5G services and innovations by enabling standardized access to network functions.
(Photo by Harpal Singh on Unsplash)
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