The growing network Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) ecosystem is opening new and exciting opportunities for enterprise developers. The total value of network APIs market is likely to grow from $4 billion in 2023 to $34 billion in 20301, growing at a CAGR of 34%.
“The concept of network APIs is essentially opening up a rich base of capabilities that these networks have to developers in the form of APIs or SDKs [Software Development Kit] and letting them create innovative services on top of those carriers' platforms. That's the essence of the network APIs,” explains Shkumbin Hamiti, VP of Network Monetization Platform at Nokia.
Network APIs enable developers to integrate network capabilities into their applications, making it easier for the apps to interact with mobile networks – thus unlocking new revenue opportunities for both service providers and developers. Easy and simple access to network APIs can not only enhance existing use cases but also help develop new powerful ones.
How does Nokia's Network as Code empower enterprise developers?
While typically communications networks have remained inaccessible to developers, this is changing now. For instance, Nokia’s Network as Code, launched in 2023, is designed to make it easier for developers to collaborate with communications service providers (CSPs) to realize the full potential of this opportunity. It allows developers to integrate network functionalities, such as device location, quality on demand or security, into their applications.
“We are providing APIs that developers would use in a similar way as they consume other APIs, for instance, from finance or travel. And these network APIs are then collected or built through an aggregation by going operator-by-operator and creating a unified view and unified service for developers,” says Hamiti.
“In essence, our platform is a vehicle for exposing network APIs to developers and, at the same time, providing a radically simplified experience of working with the telecom capabilities to developers globally,” adds Hamiti.
It empowers developers to access and integrate the required network capabilities without grappling with underlying complexities. The developers typically don’t come with deep knowledge of the communications network, nor should they. Interacting with mobile networks should be as easy as interacting with payment systems. With Nokia's Network as Code, they can easily tap into network APIs to create applications without acquiring expertise in the communications network.
Additionally, Nokia's Network as Code enables developers to create new revenue streams by developing applications that can be seamlessly applied across the global ecosystem of service providers without going through the hassle of complex integrations. More than 30 CSPs have joined Nokia’s API ecosystem, including Orange, BT, Telefonica, Vodafone, Globe and Deutsche Telekom, among others.
Improved operations at the Port of Antwerp are a case in point of the transformational impact of easy availability of network APIs. The developers enabled remote ship piloting at the Port of Antwerp by utilizing device location and quality of service APIs to enhance port operations. This wouldn’t have been possible without developers using network APIs to enhance port operations. Several industries, including drone operations, financial apps, immersive streaming, remote vehicles and asset management, among others, stand to benefit from network APIs and Nokia's Network as Code platform.
“The use cases depend on the network APIs that we are addressing. So, for instance, identity and anti-fraud APIs have been the first APIs to be opened by several operators. There we'll be looking into verticals like banking, and e-commerce delivery, while for more Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) opportunities, we'll be looking into entertainment media, smart manufacturing, and transportation,” says Otilia Anton, network APIs director at Orange.
Nokia and Orange collaborated last year in a hackathon and as part of this initiative, Nokia’s Network as Code platform allowed developers to leverage Orange’s network capabilities to develop applications for its customers. Developers at the Network as Code hackathon emphasized2 how fast and easy access, through Nokia’s Network as Code to APIs allowed them to develop new use cases. For instance, at Orange Tech Days, a developer worked on an application that will send notifications to users about events or activities taking place around them.
“We are now looking into more advanced use cases. For instance, how can we use the population density API to improve event management transportation,” she adds.
Nokia's Network as Code platform’s growing appeal to developers is easy to understand since it incorporates feedback from developers themselves. Before the platform’s launch, the developers were provided access to its functionalities and capabilities and their feedback was included in the final platform. A recent ABI Research ranked Nokia3 as the overall leader and top innovator in a competitive study on API platforms for internal exposure within network and partner ecosystems.
In Closing
Developers are at the forefront of unlocking the vast potential of network capabilities. By streamlining access to these capabilities, Nokia’s Network as Code empowers developers to leverage advanced network capabilities to quickly create innovative use cases that can be scaled across multiple service providers without getting bogged down by network complexities.
Visit Nokia’s Network as Code for developers for more information.
1STL Partners. (2023). Network API monetisation forecast 2023-2030: Growth beyond anti-fraud. Retrieved from https://stlpartners.com/research/network-api-monetisation-forecast-2023-2030-growth-beyond-anti-fraud/
2YouTube. (2023). Orange & Nokia Explore Network-as-Code API Use Cases at VivaTech [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jlXOtgDAik
3Nokia. (2024, November 26). ABI research ranks Nokia overall leader and top innovator for telco API platforms. Retrieved from https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2024/11/26/abi-research-ranks-nokia-overall-leader-and-top-innovator-for-telco-api-platforms/