MASORANGE, Telefónica, Vodafone Group, and the i2CAT research center have launched Europe’s first multi-operator Open Gateway API lab, providing a development-ready platform for companies and creators to explore standardized telco capabilities through unified APIs.
This collaborative lab is set to accelerate the adoption of interoperable APIs, with the goal of generating joint use cases and delivering consistent performance in a collaborative setting. The group will conduct tests and establish testbeds to ensure consensus on the rollout of both existing and new APIs, while fostering an open forum for technological and business innovation.
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Standardized Compatibility
The lab is a significant step within Open Gateway, a GSMA-led global telecom initiative aimed at transforming networks into programmable platforms. Developed under CAMARA, an open-source project from the Linux Foundation and TM Forum, these APIs enable a unified development approach compatible across all telecom networks. This initiative reflects a shift in telco operators’ roles, enhancing their capabilities to achieve faster, more efficient solutions that enhance services for businesses and end users alike.
The new Open Gateway API lab will offer cutting-edge tools, testing environments, and technical support, enabling the development of applications that harness multi-operator network capabilities and streamline interoperability across the digital ecosystem.
Víctor del Pozo, General Manager of Innovation, Alliances and New Services at MASORANGE, commended the Open Gateway initiative, “which represents a paradigm shift in the way the telecommunications sector designs and markets new mobile applications and digital services.”
Coordinated by the i2CAT Foundation, this hub will connect operators and developers in a multi-operator setting. i2CAT will lead the integration of performance testing with existing APIs and will work on creating new ones, ensuring a seamless development experience and standardized performance for advanced applications. New use cases will also be designed to meet the unique needs of various industries, delivering consistent and customized performance.
Read More: By 2025, A Global Telecom Consortium Will Scale Network APIs
The Potential of Public-Private Partnerships
Irene Bernal, Director of Product and Strategy for Telefónica Open Gateway, said, “We are relying on the leadership of i2CAT, a benchmark in technological research with which we have already collaborated on multiple projects. The participation of operators, customers and public-private links will enhance the capacity to develop new opportunities for the entire digital ecosystem.”
Sergi Figuerola, Director of i2CAT, noted that establishing this innovation lab marks a significant milestone for the center, as it introduces a strategic innovation project within the groundbreaking Open Gateway initiative, in collaboration with prominent European operators who are also members of the i2CAT board of trustees.
“On a technical level, the laboratory will allow us to transfer our cutting-edge knowledge in technological research to the network platforms market, demonstrating the transformative potential of public-private collaborations,” Figuerola concluded.
