U Mobile's new Open API Portal enables wider range of 5G services in MalaysiaU Mobile's new Open API Portal enables wider range of 5G services in Malaysia

U Mobile on Tuesday launched its Open API Portal based on the GSMA Open Gateway initiative, becoming the first operator in Malaysia to offer the service.

The operator said the portal will provide access to its suite of APIs, enabling developers, partners and enterprises to integrate and co-create services and solutions with the telco.

U Mobile signed a memorandum of understanding to join the GSMA Open Gateway Initiative at this year's Mobile World Congress.

The Open API Portal will provide an intuitive interface that streamlines the development process and a secure, isolated environment for testing and experimenting with APIs. It will also provide support and a community for co-creation, collaboration and knowledge sharing.

U Mobile did not provide any information about the APIs that will be available on the portal.

Using APIs to leverage 5G services

U Mobile, which was selected earlier this month to build and operate Malaysia's second 5G network, said the suite of APIs would help enterprises take advantage of 5G services.

The company noted that the suite of APIs in its portal would enable easy integration of messaging, voice, data and network services.

"As Malaysia's future second 5G network provider, we look forward to working with more partners to bring innovative 5G and 5G advanced solutions to enterprises in this AI-driven digital economy," Neil Tomkinson, chief information officer at U Mobile, said in a statement.

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To date, most of the applications that have been built using open APIs have been designed to prevent online scams.

In March, China's three major telecom operators – China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom – launched the GSMA Open Gateway One Time Password Application Programming Interface (OTP API) to help combat mobile fraud.

In July, Malaysian operator Maxis and its Thai counterpart AIS signed an agreement with Singtel to use the SingVerify suite to enable network-based authentication for mobile subscribers. The SingVerify suite, which uses open APIs based on the GSMA Open Gateway framework, authenticates digital identities registered with consumer services.