Open Gateway APIs in the US are a mixed bagOpen Gateway APIs in the US are a mixed bag

All three big wireless network operators in the US – AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile – are supporting the GSMA's Open Gateway network API effort. However, there is very little overlap in the APIs (network programming interfaces) that the operators are actually offering.

According to the GSMA's Open Gateway website, there are only a handful of network APIs available in the US. And there's only one API – Device Status – that's available across more than one operator.

Here are the APIs offered by each of the big operators in the US:

This kind of scattershot deployment of APIs in the US could create roadblocks for developers interested in using those APIs in their applications. After all, the point of the GSMA's Open Gateway effort is to allow developers to access multiple networks, across multiple countries, using one set of APIs. If those APIs are not supported broadly, evenly and completely, developers can't reach the kind of global scale many are seeking.

Taking stock

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile continue to chase the network API opportunity via their respective developer portals. And each operator is focusing on their own respective strengths.

For example, Verizon's current Open Gateway efforts are focused on the edge computing effort the company first launched in 2019 with Amazon Web Services. Verizon officials have since acknowledged that the company's edge computing offerings haven't yet generated much interest.

T-Mobile, meanwhile, has been pursuing its own DevEdge developer platform that it operates in conjunction with its German parent company Deutsche Telekom. The operator recently unveiled the top five US finalists in its first Telecommunications Network API Challenge, a contest intended to spark interest in the platform.

AT&T continues to add to its API lineup, but not all of those APIs fit into the GSMA's Open Gateway program.

It's also worth noting that Boost Mobile – the US wireless network built by Dish Network and now owned by EchoStar – is nowhere to be found on the GSMA's Open Gateway website. That's important because Dish first launched its 5G network with a promise to allow enterprise developers direct access to its network. As Light Reading reported, Dish hosted a "level up your dev" developer competition in conjunction with an AWS trade show in 2022.

Nokia in 2023 named Dish as the first operator to use its Network as Code API platform.

Regardless, it's still early days for the GSMA's Open Gateway program.

The past and the future

Wireless network operators for years have discussed the possibility of opening their networks to developers. But that discussion picked up steam roughly two years ago when the GSMA trade association announced its "Open Gateway" effort. Another player in the space, the TM Forum, has also said its APIs and Open Digital Architecture (ODA) effort will work alongside the GSMA's Open Gateway initiative.

According to the GSMA, 67 mobile operators have so far committed to its Open Gateway API program. Those operators account for around 75% of the world's mobile by connections.

The trade association is also highlighting API case studies from across the world. For example, Elmo Cars, Elisa and Nokia in Finland are using APIs for remote driving applications. And IT consulting firm Laude and Orange are helping law enforcement agencies to use device location and geofencing to ensure criminal restraining orders are upheld.

Some have high hopes for those kinds of advancements. According to consulting firm McKinsey, the network API market "could unlock around $100 billion to $300 billion in connectivity- and edge-computing-related revenue for operators while generating an additional $10 billion to $30 billion from APIs themselves."

But the market continues to evolve.

For example, Ericsson recently inked a new joint venture with a lengthy group of telecom operators (América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefónica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon and Vodafone) for network APIs. It's unclear whether the effort will accelerate sales in the sector.

Article updated December 18 to clarify Ericsson's new joint venture.