Ericsson forms a JV with 12 telecom operators to sell network APIs

Ericsson has formed a joint venture (JV) with 12 leading telecom operators to combine and sell network application programming interfaces (APIs) on a global scale to spur innovation in digital services. The JV will drive implementation and access to common APIs from multiple telecom service providers to a broader ecosystem of developer platforms.

The 12 operators include América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Reliance Jio, Singtel, Telefonica, Telstra, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Vodafone. Ericsson will hold 50 per cent equity in the venture while the telecom providers will hold 50 per cent equity in total. The JV is expected to be closed  in early 2025.The JV will combine network APIs globally, with a vision that new applications will work anywhere on any network, making it easier and quicker for developers to innovate. These APIs can unlock use cases such as anti-fraud verification for financial transactions and the ability to check device status so streaming providers can dynamically adjust video quality, and more.

As per the company, the JV will provide network APIs to a broad ecosystem of developer platforms, including hyperscalers (HCPs), communications platform as a service (CPaaS) providers, System integrators (SIs), and independent software vendors (ISVs), based on existing industry-wide CAMARA APIs.

In addition, Vonage and Google Cloud will partner with the JV, providing access to their ecosystems of millions of developers and their partners. The new venture shareholders will bring funding and important assets, including Ericsson’s platform and network expertise, global telecom operator relationships, knowledge of the developer community and each telecom operator’s network APIs, expertise and marketing.

Furthermore, the company stated that additional telecom operators are encouraged to join the JV, further driving the industry and developer experience, and allowing all participants to tap into a significant new revenue opportunity, such as telecom operator three Sweden (Hi3G Access) which is already in discussions.